Sprague's Pipit
Encyclopedia
Sprague's Pipit is a small passerine
bird that breeds in the short and mixed-grass prairies of North America and overwinters in the southwestern United States
and northern Mexico
. Easiest to identify by the distinctive descending call that is delivered in the breeding season from a considerable height. Males and females are cryptically coloured and similar in appearance and are a buffy brown with darker streaking, slender bills and pinkish to yellow legs.
of North America. In Canada
, you can find Sprague's Pipit in southern Alberta
, southern Saskatchewan
, and southwest Manitoba
. In the United States
, they can be found in northeastern and central Montana
, western and central North Dakota
, northwest South Dakota
, and in the Red River Valley of Minnesota
(AOU 1998).
Sprague's Pipits winter in the southwestern United States
and northern Mexico
. In the United states it occurs from southern California
(casually), south-central and southeastern Arizona
, southern New Mexico
, central and eastern Texas
, occasionally found in southern Kansas
, southern Oklahoma
, very rarely in southern Missouri
, Tennessee
and northwestern Mississippi
south through Arkansas
and Louisiana
(A.O.U. 1998). In Mexico it is found in the interior from northeastern Sonora
and Nuevo Leon
south to Zacatecas
and San Luis Potosi
and along the Atlantic Coast from Tamaulipas
to central Veracruz
. It is uncommon in the Central Volcanic belt, rare in west Tobasco and a vagrant to s Guerrero (Howell and Webb 1995).
in Canada (COSEWIC) http://www.cosewic.gc.ca/ as “Threatened”; the status was re-examined and confirmed in May 2000. Sprague’s Pipits were officially listed under the Species at Risk Act
(SARA) as “Threatened” on 5 June 2003 (Jones 2010). In the United States, Sprague’s Pipits are a Candidate for listing as “Endangered” or “Threatened” under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; however, listing Sprague’s Pipits is precluded by higher listing priorities (Jones 2010).
and standing dead vegetation is used to build the canopy over the nest.
Breeding begins as early as late April and continues until mid to late August. Nests are a small cup of grass found on the ground with standing dead vegetation folded over to create a canopy. There is a single entrance to the nest. Four to six eggs are typically laid within the nests with an average incubation time of 13–14 days.
Renesting and second broods have been occasionally documented for Sprague’s Pipit, as has polygyny; however, they are predominantly single-brooded (Jones et al. 2010).
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird that breeds in the short and mixed-grass prairies of North America and overwinters in the southwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Easiest to identify by the distinctive descending call that is delivered in the breeding season from a considerable height. Males and females are cryptically coloured and similar in appearance and are a buffy brown with darker streaking, slender bills and pinkish to yellow legs.
Range
Found in mixed or short grass prairie throughout the Northern Great PlainsGreat Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
of North America. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, you can find Sprague's Pipit in southern Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, southern Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, and southwest Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, they can be found in northeastern and central Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, western and central North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, northwest South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, and in the Red River Valley of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
(AOU 1998).
Sprague's Pipits winter in the southwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. In the United states it occurs from southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(casually), south-central and southeastern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, southern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, central and eastern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, occasionally found in southern Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, southern Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, very rarely in southern Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and northwestern Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
south through Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
(A.O.U. 1998). In Mexico it is found in the interior from northeastern Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
and Nuevo Leon
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
south to Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
and San Luis Potosi
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
and along the Atlantic Coast from Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
to central Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
. It is uncommon in the Central Volcanic belt, rare in west Tobasco and a vagrant to s Guerrero (Howell and Webb 1995).
Status
Sprague’s Pipits were listed in 1999 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlifein Canada (COSEWIC) http://www.cosewic.gc.ca/ as “Threatened”; the status was re-examined and confirmed in May 2000. Sprague’s Pipits were officially listed under the Species at Risk Act
Species at Risk Act
The Species at Risk Act is a piece of Canadian federal legislation which became law in Canada on December 12, 2002. It is designed to meet one of Canada's key commitments under the International Convention on Biological Diversity. The goal of the Act is to protect endangered or threatened...
(SARA) as “Threatened” on 5 June 2003 (Jones 2010). In the United States, Sprague’s Pipits are a Candidate for listing as “Endangered” or “Threatened” under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; however, listing Sprague’s Pipits is precluded by higher listing priorities (Jones 2010).
Habitat
They breed in habitat with minimal human disturbance, such as grazing, haying or other human development. Sprague's Pipit is a ground nesting passerinePasserine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
and standing dead vegetation is used to build the canopy over the nest.
Reproduction
Renesting and second broods have been occasionally documented for Sprague’s Pipit, as has polygyny; however, they are predominantly single-brooded (Jones et al. 2010).
Food/Diet
Sprague's Pipit's eat various insects, spiders, and sometimes seeds. During the breeding season the adults are almost entirely insectivorous and feed the young on insects as well.Books
- Robbins, M. B., and B. C. Dale. 1999. Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii). In The Birds of North America, No. 439 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
External links
- Sprague's Pipit Conservation Plan - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Sprague's Pipit Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Sprague's Pipit Anthus spragueii - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Sprague's Pipit Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Sprague's Pipit photo gallery VIREO