Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens rubescens
Moss Landing State Beach, California. December 2007

The American form of Buff-bellied Pipit rubescens breeds across much of northern and western Canada and winters from the southern USA and Central America. Typically found in the winter on open ground - eg fields and beaches - they are active feeders, walking purposefully or chasing after insects (and often snapping at flies, as the individual below).

ID features can be summed up as follows: rubescens has essentially buff-coloured underparts with brownish, (mostly) uncoalesced streaking; a complete white/whitish eye-ring; plain lores; the buff supercilium practically joins the buff submoustachial, and both are concolourous with the underparts; the tertials and retrices (tail-feathers) stand out as being notably darker than any other area of the bird; the nape is unstreaked and grey-toned; the bill is relatively fine and short; and the legs tend to be dark or dirty red.

 

 

Note: buff underparts with light brown streaking, complete white eye-ring, pale lores, buff supercilium and submoustachials.

 

 

Note: as above, plus notably dark tertials and retrices, and “dirty-red” legs. Note also the moult contrast in the greater coverts, with the two inner feathers looking abraded (and darker) than the fresher outer ones - presumably this makes this bird a first-winter as adults would show uniform coverts in December (?).

 

 

Note: the dark tertials and dark retrices plainly standing out from the rest of the lightly-streaked upperparts, and grey-toned unstreaked nape.

Photographs copyright Charlie Moores