The Buff-bellied Pipit (Anthus rubescens) is a small passerine
bird. It has two distinctive subspecies: The American
Pipit, A. r. rubescens, breeds in northern North America, extending further
south in mountainous areas. The Japanese Pipit, A. r. japonicus, breeds not only in Japan but in most of north-central and northeast Asia. There are some
sequence differences between these forms, and they might be considered distinct species
pending further research (Zink et al., 1997).
This species is closely related to Rock Pipit and Water
Pipit, all three forms having previously been considered conspecific (Sangster et al., 2002). They can
differentiated by their vocalizations (Leonovich et al, 1997) and some visual cues (Alström & Mild, 1996), but Rock
and Buff-bellied Pipit do not co-occur except as vagrant individuals, and the ranges of Buff-bellied and Water Pipits overlap
only in a small area in Central Asia (Nazarenko, 1978).
Both subspecies of Buff-bellied Pipit are migratory. The American Pipit winters on the
Pacific coast of North America, and on the Atlantic coast from the southern USA to
Central America. Asian birds winter mainly from Pakistan east to Japan and southeast Asia. The American and Asian subspecies are
rare vagrants to western and eastern Europe respectively.
2007 was a record year for vagrancy to Europe by the nominate American form, with at least eight birds found in
Iceland, the British Isles and
France.
The breeding habitat of Buff-bellied Pipit is tundra, but outside the breeding
season it is found in open lightly vegetated areas, similar to those favoured by Water Pipit.
Like most other pipits, this is an undistinguished looking species on the ground. American
Pipit has lightly streaked grey-brown upperparts and is diffusely streaked below on the buff breast and flanks. The belly is
whitish. The Asian form is darker above, and has bolder black streaking on its whiter underparts.
This species is insectivorous. Its call is a squeaky sip.
References
- Alström, Per & Mild, Krister (1996): The identification of Rock, Water and Buff-bellied Pipits.
Alula 2(4): 161–175.
- Leonovich, V. V.; Deminia, G. V. & Veprintseva, O. D. (1997): [On the taxonomy and phylogeny of pipits (Genus
Anthus, Motacillidae, Aves) in Eurasia]. Biulleten Moskovskogo obshchestva ispytatelei prirody. Otdel
biologicheskii. 102(2): 14–22. [Article in Russian]
- Nazarenko, A. A. (1978): [On species validity of Anthus rubescens Tunstall (Aves: Motacillidae).]
Zoologicheskiy Zhurnal 57: 1743–1744. [Article in Russian]
- Zink, R. M., Rohwer, S., Andreev, A. V. & Dittmann, D. L. (1995): Trans-Beringia comparisons of mitochondrial DNA
differentiation in birds. Condor 97(3): 639–649. PDF
fulltext
External links
Further reading
Book
- Verbeek, N. A. M. and P. Hendricks. 1994. American Pipit (Anthus rubescens). In The Birds of North America, No.
95 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists’
Union.
Thesis
- Hendricks DP. Ph.D. (1993). Clutch- and egg-size variation of American pipits in alpine environments. Washington State
University, United States -- Washington.
Articles
- Bennike O. (1990). Observations of Geese and Other Birds in West Greenland Arctic Ocean 1989 and 1990. Dansk
Ornitologisk Forenings Tidsskrift. vol 84, no 3-4. p. 145-150.
- Best JR & Higgs WJ. (1990). Bird Population Status Changes in Thule District North Greenland Arctic Ocean. Dansk
Ornitologisk Forenings Tidsskrift. vol 84, no 3-4. p. 159-160.
- Brichetti P & Massa B. (1987). Addenda and Corrigenda to the Check-List of Italian Birds. Rivista Italiana di
Ornitologia. vol 57, no 3-4. p. 157-160.
- Duckworth JW. (2006). Records of some bird species hitherto rarely found in DPR Korea. Bulletin of the British
Ornithologists' Club. vol 126, no 4. p. 252-290.
- Forrester RW. (1996). Amendments to the Scottish list. Scottish Birds. vol 18, no 3. p. 129-131.
- Hendricks P. (1991). Repeatability of Size and Shape of American Pipit Eggs. Canadian Journal of Zoology. vol
69, no 10. p. 2624-2628.
- Hendricks P. (1991). Site Fidelity and Renesting of Female American Pipits. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol
62, no 3. p. 338-342.
- Hendricks P. (1997). Geographical trends in clutch size: A range-wide relationship with laying date in American
pipits. Auk. vol 114, no 4. p. 773-778.
- Hendricks P. (2003). Spring snow conditions, laying date, and clutch size in an alpine population of American Pipits.
Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 74, no 4. p. 423-429.
- Hendricks P & Norment CJ. (1992). Effects of Severe Snowstorm on Subalpine and Alpine Populations of Nesting American
Pipits. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 63, no 3. p. 331-338.
- Hendricks P & Norment CJ. (1994). Hatchability of American pipit eggs in the Beartooth Mountains, Wyoming. Wilson
Bulletin. vol 106, no 2. p. 392-399.
- Kennedy PL, Stahlecker DW & Fair JM. (1995). Organochlorine concentrations in potential avian prey of breeding
peregrine falcons in North-Central New Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist. vol 40, no 1. p. 94-100.
- Knox A. (1988). TAXONOMY OF THE ROCK WATER PIPIT SUPERSPECIES ANTHUS-PETROSUS, ANTHUS-SPINOLETTA AND ANTHUS-RUBESCENS.
British Birds. vol 81, no 5. p. 206-211.
- Koblik EA & Mikhailov KE. (1994). On birds of upper belts of the mountains of Khorsko-Bikinsky watershed (middle
Sikhote-Alin). Byulleten' Moskovskogo Obshchestva Ispytatelei Prirody Otdel Biologicheskii. vol 99, no 6. p.
47-54.
- Mikhailov KE. (1997). The regularities of the distribution of birds along vertical and habitual scale in the
alpine-subalpine zone of the central Sikhote-Alin Range. Byulleten' Moskovskogo Obshchestva Ispytatelei Prirody Otdel
Biologicheskii. vol 102, no 6. p. 20-27.
- Norment CJ & Green K. (2004). Breeding ecology of Richard's Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae) in the Snowy Mountains.
Emu. vol 104, no 4. p. 327-336.
- Richardson TW, Pyle P, Burnett R & Capitolo P. (2003). The occurrence and seasonal distribution of migratory birds on
Southeast Farallon Island, 1968-1999. Western Birds. vol 34, no 2. p. 58-96.
- Taylor DM. (1994). Seasonal status of the American pipit in Idaho. Western Birds. vol 25, no 1. p. 43-49.
- Verbeek NAM. (1995). The use of grit in pipits, especially the American Pipit. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol
65, no 4. p. 498-503.
- Wilson S & Martin K. (2005). Songbird use of high-elevation habitat during the fall post-breeding and migratory
periods. Ecoscience. vol 12, no 4. p. 561-568.
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