Bird Guide

Sprague's Pipit

Anthus spragueii

VulnerableInvertebratesGrasslandCup nestSmall · 26 g

About the Sprague's Pipit

Sprague's pipit is a small songbird (passerine) in the family Motacillidae that breeds in the short- and mixed-grass prairies of North America. Migratory, it spends the winters in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Sprague's pipits are unusual among songbirds in that they sing high in the sky, somewhat like a goldfinch or skylark. It is more often identified by its distinctive descending song heard from above than by being seen on the ground. Males and females are cryptically coloured and similar in appearance; they are a buffy brown with darker streaking, slender bills and pinkish to yellow legs. Sprague's pipit summer habitat is primarily native grasslands in the north…

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

Measurements: Length: 5.9–6.7 in (15–17 cm) Weight: 0.6-0.9 oz (18.2-27 g) Wingspan: 10 in (25.4 cm)

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where the Sprague's Pipit lives

Regular range

When to see the Sprague's Pipit

Peak activity in June · a variable species across most of its range

Easily confused with

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