Tawny Pipit “Anthus campestris” is a large size bird of 17 cm in length. Tawny Pipit is a large, long-legged, and long-tailed pipit. It resembles vagrant Richard’s in size, but a little slimmer (less potbellied), with slightly shorter legs and tail, the thinner bill (with a less de-curved tip to upper mandible), and a shorter hind-claw.
Tawny Pipit – “Anthus campestris” is a large size bird of 17 cm in length. Photo Credit – Andrej Chudý
The adult birds are almost unmarked (streaking very indistinct) grayish-sandy above, with contrasting dark median-covert bar; underparts pale sandy-buff with sparse and irregular dark streaking on the breast (or none). Therefore, the confusion is unlikely except with similar Long-billed Pipit (q.v.) of parts of the Middle East or with worn summer-plumaged Water Pipit (which, however, is less elegant-looking and has dark legs).
Dull Yellow Wagtails can look vaguely Tawny Pipit-like but have black legs. Juvenile and many autumn birds moulting into 1st-winter plumage are very different from adults. It can easily be confused with vagrant Richard’s or Blyth’s; by mid-autumn, many young birds are similar to adults. However, others have vestiges of juvenile plumage such as uneven breast streaking or dark-centered scapulars. Whereas others may be still mostly juvenile (heavily streaked or scalloped with dark above and below), thus resembling Richard’s.
These streaky Tawny Pipits may be distinguished from Richard’s by having strongly streaked rump (weakly streaked in Richard’s), often broader pale fringes to tertials, almost uniform creamy-sandy or whitish ground color to underparts (Richard’s has warm buff flanks and to a lesser degree breast), often rather an irregular streaking on the breast (as adult feathers moult through) and, most importantly, different head pattern.
Tawny Pipit is more wagtail-like in actions, running about with body horizontal, often tail-wagging, – Photo Credit – Andrej Chudý
The Tawny Pipit has dark loral stripe (lacking in Richard’s, but note that at some angles Richard’s can seem to have dark lore, while very rarely it is faint or lacking in Tawny), narrow pale eye-ring (a broader pale area about the eye in Richard’s), darker ear-coverts (pale-centered in Richard’s) and often a less distinct dark malar stripe. The slight structural differences mentioned above are usually apparent if the observer is familiar with both species.
In-flight, slightly sandy or pale buff wash on outer tail feathers often visible when plumage fresh, becoming whiter with wear; weaker or more chirping flight calls also helpful; often stalls briefly before alighting, typically lacking short fluttering hover characteristic of Richard’s.
Tawny is more wagtail-like in actions, running about with body horizontal, often tail-wagging, although will stand with more erect posture; often seems more ‘relaxed’ than Richard’s. Tawny has a distinct preference for very short vegetation or bare areas (e.g. sandy tracks, short grass), whereas Richard prefers longer, coarser grassland. See also discussions under Blyth’s and Long-billed Pipits.
Tawny Pipit little difference between fresh and worn plumage in color merely in amount of feather wear. – Photo Credit – Wikimedia
SEX/AGE
Tawny pipit little difference between fresh and worn plumage in color merely in amount of feather wear. Juvenile described under Identification; slowly acquires adult plumage in autumn and early winter.
CALL / SOUNDS
Tawny Pipit Main flight calls House Sparrow-like, although considerably weaker, less emphatic, and less harsh than typical calls of Richard’s: a weak ‘tchilp’ or a longer ‘shleeup’ (latter also recalling some calls of Yellow Wagtail).
When pipit flying short distances, it repeatedly gives a low, weak ‘chirp’ or ‘chup’. Tawny Pipit song is usually uttered in short undulating display flight, or from the ground, a clear, ringing, high ‘z’deeee-z’deeee.’ alike to one of the songs of Desert lark (compare song of Long-billed Pipit).
GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION
Slight. 2 races (nominate illustrated). It is gradual cline towards smaller and grayer birds in the east of our region. These are very gray birds from the eastern end of cline separated as griseus: occur on passage through the Middle East. Even smaller and greyer kastschenkoi (breeds in S Siberia / W Mongolia) are suspected to occur as a vagrant.
STATUS/HABITAT
The bird is fairly common (but local and uncommon in the north of range). (In addition to mapped range, has bred Switzerland. The bird most winter spends in the south of the Sahara or in Arabia.) However, pipit breeds in a variety of dry open habitats, including dry grassland, dry cultivation, heath-land, wasteland, sand dunes, sandy river banks, semi-arid plateaus, and mountain slopes. Outside breeding season may be found in dry open grassland, dry cultivation, sandy tracts, and semi-desert.
