The wood pipit or woodland 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.
| Wood pipit | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Motacillidae |
| Genus: | Anthus |
| Species: | A. nyassae
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| Binomial name | |
| Anthus nyassae Neumann, 1906
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Description edit
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.
Range edit
The range of the wood 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: A. n. nyassae, A. n. frondicolus and A. n. schoutedeni. Some authors recognize a fourth subspecies, A. n. chersophilus.
References edit
- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Anthus nyassae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T103821482A104353201. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103821482A104353201.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- Sinclair, Ian & Ryan, Peter (2003) Birds of Africa south of the Sahara, Struik, Cape Town.
- Van Perlo, Ber (1999) Collins Illustrated Checklist: Birds of Southern Africa, HarperCollins, London.
External links edit
- Wood pipit - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.