About the African Pipit
The African pipit is a fairly small passerine bird belonging to the pipit genus Anthus in the family Motacillidae. It is also known as the grassveld pipit or grassland pipit. It was formerly lumped together with the Richard's, Australian, mountain and paddyfield pipits in a single species, Richard's pipit, but is now often treated as a species in its own right.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The African pipit is 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) long and is a slender bird with an erect stance. It is buffy-brown above with darker streaks. The underparts are white or pale buff with a streaked breast and plain belly and flanks. The face is boldly patterned with a pale stripe over the eye and a dark malar stripe. The outer tail-feathers are white. The legs are long and pinkish and the slender bill is dark with a yellowish base to the lower mandible. Juvenile birds have a blotched breast, scalloping on the upperparts and some streaking on the flanks.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the African Pipit lives
When to see the African Pipit
Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Tawny PipitAnthus campestrisThis is a large pipit, 16 centimetres (6.3 in) long with wing-span 25–28 centimetres (9.8–11.0 in), but is an undistinguished looking species on the ground, mainly sandy brown above and pale below.
Red-throated PipitAnthus cervinusThis is a small pipit, with an adult easily identified in the breeding season by its brick-red face and throat.
Paddyfield PipitAnthus rufulusThis is a large pipit at 15 cm, but is otherwise an undistinguished looking bird, mainly streaked grey-brown above and pale below with breast streaking.
Side by side: African Pipit vs European Rock Pipit · African Pipit vs Water Pipit · African Pipit vs Paddyfield Pipit · African Pipit vs Tawny Pipit · African Pipit vs Red-throated Pipit
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