Grassland/African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus Nairobi, Kenya, June 2006

Described as “the ’standard pipit’ throughout much of the region, against which others must be compared” by Ian Sinclair and Peter Ryan (Birds of Africa south of the Sahara Struik 2003), the Grassland, Grassveld, or African Pipit seems to be one of the most variable ’species’ anywhere in Africa. Comparative identifications are all very well if you know with certainty what you’re using as your baseline ID - ie distinguishing it from other species of pipit requires first making sure that you’ve either identified it or one of numerous morphologically-similar taxa correctly, and that’s far harder than it sounds when guide books routinely use the words “typically”, “varies from”, and moderate most adjectives describing bare-part colouration with “-ish”.

Displaying/singing birds are of course much easier to identify, but without having had the benefit of an experienced guide pointing out the key characteristics and making definitive identifications of non-displaying pipits I’ve really struggled badly to identify Africa’s pipits in the past (and I’m sure will continue to do so into the future). Once lumped with Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi (an Asian similarly catch-all ‘large pipit’), all Grassland Pipits should show a streaked back, long legs, a yellowish lower mandible, distinct malars, and white outer tail feathers, but it’s not always easy to see all these features on a bird scurrying away from you in long grass. They are invariably (?) found in fields or grassland/grassveld habitats, rather than wooded areas, but then so are many of the world’s pipits.

To help me (and other confused birders like me) does anyone reading this have a mental list of identification points they run through when they come across a suspected Grassland Pipit in the - er - grass? If so, and you’d be willing to share your ‘nuggets of gold’, please mail me: all credits/links etc will of course be given…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grassland Pipit, Nairobi, June 2006

 

 

 

Grassland Pipit, Johannesburg, May 2005

All photos copyright Charlie Moores