American Pipit

Anthus rubescens
STANFORD LOCATIONS:

Uncommon to fairly rare migrant and winter resident in areas having broad expanses of short vegetation. Occurs primarily in the dry bed of Lagunita in fall and in short grassland near the Dish, although may occasionally visit playfields and the Oval.
  
Nest
Location
Nest
Type
Eggs
Mating System
Dev.
Parental Care
Primary &
2ndary Diet
Foraging
Strategy
F
I: 13-15 DAYS
ALTRICIAL
F
4-5
(4-7)
MONOG
F: 13-15 DAYS
MF
AQUATIC
INVERTS
 SEEDS
HAWKS
FROM
GROUND
BREEDING: Alpine and arctic tundra. 1 brood.
DISPLAYS: Male performs repeated courtship flight ascending 50'-200', floats downward singing, with legs extended and tail held upward at sharp angle.
NEST: Sunk in ground and partially overhung by rock or veg; of grass or grass and twigs, lined with fine grass, occ hair. Rarely a shallow scrape or built on old nest. Built in 4-5 days.
EGGS: Dull or gray white, marked with grays, browns, occ so blotched as to be solid brown. 0.8" (20 mm).
DIET: Includes mollusks, crustaceans; also some berries. Occ forages in shallow water.
CONSERVATION: Winters s to Guatemala and El Salvador.
NOTES: Habitually bobs or swings tail when walking. Occ migrates to lower elevation during breeding to escape adverse weather. Male feeds female during incubation, but away from nest. Young birds gather in late summer flocks. Forms large winter flocks, often in cultivated fields and along beaches. Widespread across Eurasia. Formerly called Water Pipit.
ESSAYS: Walking vs. Hopping; DNA and Passerine Classification; Bird Guilds; Breeding Season.
REFERENCES: Catzeflis, 1978; Miller and Green, 1987; Verbeek, 1970.

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Except for Stanford Locations, the material in this species treatment is taken, with permission, from The Birder's Handbook (Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin, & Darryl Wheye, Simon & Schuster, NY. 1988).