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Woodland Pipit Anthus nyassae Scientific name definitions

Stephanie Tyler
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2004

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

18 cm; 23·8–25·9 g. Fairly large pipit with rather upright posture. Nominate race has prominent whitish supercilium and submoustachial stripe, thin dark malar stripe; above, rich warm brown with blackish streaks; wing feathers blackish-brown, edged light rufous-buff; tail dark brown, T5 with wedge of variable size on inner web white or buff-white, T6 with outer web and large distal wedge on inner web white; throat whitish, underparts vinous buff, streaked blackish on breast; iris dark brown; bill dark horn, pale pinkish base of lower mandible; legs flesh-brown. Differs from closely similar A. similis in whiter supercilium, more distinct streaking above. Sexes alike. Juvenile is darker above, with scalloped appearance, has well-defined dark spots, rather than streaks, on breast. Race frondicolus is rather cold above, with more prominent streaking than nominate; chersophilus is less saturated dorsally than previous, with whiter supercilium, paler wings, pale areas of outer rectrix whiter, breast light vinaceous, not buff, with more diffuse streaking, rest of underside white; schoutedeni is also prominently streaked above, throat and belly white, breast streaking sharp.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Previously regarded as conspecific with A. similis, but genetic distinctiveness also now confirmed (1). Race winterbottomi of A. cinnamomeus has been treated by some authors as a synonym of nominate race of present species, or separated specifically with race latistriatus of A. cinnamomeus (2). Race chersophilus possibly inseparable from schoutedeni, and both possibly better merged with nominate. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Anthus nyassae schoutedeni Scientific name definitions

Anthus nyassae schoutedeni
A. n. schoutedeni

Distribution

SE Gabon and S Congo E to S DRCongo, S to SC and SE Angola.
SUBSPECIES

Anthus nyassae nyassae Scientific name definitions

Anthus nyassae nyassae
A. n. nyassae

Distribution

Zambia, SW and SE Tanzania, Malawi and NW Mozambique.
SUBSPECIES

Anthus nyassae chersophilus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

NE Namibia and N Botswana.
SUBSPECIES

Anthus nyassae frondicolus Scientific name definitions

Anthus nyassae frondicolus
A. n. frondicolus

Distribution

Zimbabwe and adjacent S Mozambique.

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Broadleaf woodland savanna with lightly grassed understorey; especially miombo (Brachystegia- Julbernardia) woodland in Zimbabwe, and Burkea-Baikiaea and Ptero­carpus woodland in Namibia and Botswana. Lowlands to above 1800 m.

Movement

Believed to be sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

Small invertebrates, also some seeds. Stomach contents have included grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera), mantids, cockroaches (of genus Blattaria), bugs (Hemiptera), beetles (including scara­baeids and Cicindela tiger beetles), both worker and soldier termites (including Hodo­termes harvester termites and Macroterma species), noctuid moths, ants (Hymenoptera) and braconid and sphecoid wasps, and spiders (Araneae). Forages on ground under trees and in open clearings; also gleans insects from leaves in trees.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song, often from treetop, consists of short phrases, repeated, with modulations, at one-second intervals, “tssirit, tseu, sreep, tyoop” etc. Diagnostic high tremolo call usually given as it flies off.

Breeding

Little known. Lays before and during rains, but in dry season in miombo: Jan, Feb and Jul–Nov (mostly Sept–Nov) in Zimbabwe, and Sept–Nov in Malawi and Zambia. Nest a grass cup, lined with fine split grass and wood fibre. Clutch 2–3 eggs; incubation and fledging periods unknown.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Current status uncertain. Has been suggested that further destruction of miombo and other broadleaf woodlands could place this species at risk.
Distribution of the Woodland Pipit - Range Map
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Distribution of the Woodland Pipit

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Tyler, S. (2020). Woodland Pipit (Anthus nyassae), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.woopip1.01
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