American Pipit Gallery

Anthus rubescens

eBird offers this description of the American Pipit:  Slender and drab songbird of open country. Usually grayish above and streaked below, but some lack streaks in breeding season. Distinguished from similar-looking (unrelated) sparrows by thin bill and lanky appearance with long legs. Walks on the ground with jerky motions and frequently bobs tail. Flocks are often heard as they pass overhead or flush from a barren field. Look for flashing white outer tail feathers in flight.  All About Birds adds this descriptive information about the American Pipit:  American Pipits are among the very few species of American songbirds that nest in both Arctic tundra and alpine meadows. Although they’re found in the open and are not especially shy, these small birds can still be inconspicuous as they walk briskly through tundra or agricultural fields. They also forage along river and lake shores, much in the manner of a shorebird. If you don’t live in the Arctic or above treeline, look for these birds in winter.

I saw my first American Pipit on the morning of November 13, 2020.  I was driving slowly along Lakeview Trail near my home at about 8:45 a.m. when I flushed a small flock of what I thought were sparrows.  They landed in nearby in a field very near the road and I was able to get pictures and identify them as American Pipits.