Woodland Pipit

Taxobox
name = Woodland Pipit
status = NR
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Motacillidae
genus = "Anthus"
species = "A. nyassae"
binomial = "Anthus nyassae"
binomial_authority = Neumann, 1906

The Woodland Pipit or Wood Pipit ("Anthus nyassae") is a small passerine bird belonging to the pipit genus "Anthus" in the family Motacillidae. It was formerly included in the Long-billed Pipit ("Anthus similis") but is now frequently treated as a separate species. It is a bird of miombo woodland in south-central Africa, unlike the Long-billed Pipit which inhabits open grassland. It perches in trees when flushed but forages on the ground for invertebrates.

It is 16-18 centimetres long. The upperparts are warm brown with dark streaks while the underparts are pale with some streaking on the breast. The bird has a dark eyestripe, white supercilium and pale outer tail-feathers. Juveniles have dark spots above and have more streaking below than the adults. The bird's song is high-pitched and monotonous.

The Long-billed Pipit is very similar but has a slightly longer bill and tail, a smaller pale area in the outer tail-feathers and a slightly lower voice.

The range of the Woodland Pipit extends from south-east Gabon eastwards to southern and western Tanzania and southwards as far as north-east Namibia, northern Botswana, Zimbabwe and north-west Mozambique. At least three subspecies are recognized: "nyassae", "frondicolus" and "schoutedeni". Some authors recognize a fourth subspecies, "chersophilus".

References

*aut|Sinclair, Ian & Ryan, Peter (2003) "Birds of Africa south of the Sahara", Struik, Cape Town.
*aut|Van Perlo, Ber (1999) "Collins Illustrated Checklist: Birds of Southern Africa", HarperCollins, London.