The pipits are a cosmopolitan genus, Anthus, of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. Along with the wagtails and longclaws, the pipits make up the family Motacillidae. The genus is widespread, occurring across most of the world, except the driest deserts, rainforest and the mainland of Antarctica.
The wagtails, longclaws, and pipits are a family, Motacillidae, of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. Around 70 species occur in five genera. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominantly found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, with two species migrating and breeding in Alaska. The pipits have the most cosmopolitan distribution, being found mostly in the Old World, but occurring also in the Americas and oceanic islands such as New Zealand and the Falklands. Two African species, the yellow-breasted pipit and Sharpe's longclaw, are sometimes placed in a separate seventh genus, Hemimacronyx, which is closely related to the longclaws.
Richard's pipit is a medium-sized passerine bird which breeds in open grasslands in the East Palearctic. It is a long-distance migrant moving to open lowlands in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is a rare but regular vagrant to western Europe.
The red-throated pipit is a small passerine bird, which breeds in the far north of Europe and the Palearctic, with a foothold in northern Alaska. It is a long-distance migrant, moving in winter to Africa, South and East Asia and the West Coast United States. It is a vagrant to Western Europe.
The Pechora pipit is a small passerine bird which breeds in the East Palearctic tundra and densely vegetated areas near river banks ranges from the Pechora River to the Chukchi Peninsula. It also breeds in Kamchatka and the Commander Islands. It is a long-distance migrant, moving in winter to Indonesia. Rarely in September and October, the Pechora pipit may be observed in western Europe. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863.
The tree pipit is a small passerine bird which breeds across most of Europe and the Palearctic as far East as the East Siberian Mountains. It is a long-distance migrant moving in winter to Africa and southern Asia. The scientific name is from Latin: anthus is the name for a small bird of grasslands, and the specific trivialis means "common".
The plain-backed pipit or plain pipit is a medium-sized passerine bird which is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
Berthelot's pipit is a small passerine bird which breeds in Madeira and the Canary Islands. It is a common resident in both archipelagos.
Sharpe's longclaw is a passerine bird in the longclaw family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and wagtails. It is endemic to Kenya.
The South Georgia pipit is a sparrow-sized bird only found on the South Georgia archipelago off the Antarctic Peninsula. It is the only songbird in Antarctica, South Georgia's only passerine, and one of the few non-seabirds of the region.
The short-tailed pipit is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland.
The bushveld pipit, also known as bush pipit or little pipit, is a species of bird in the pipit and wagtail family Motacillidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and dry savanna.
The yellow tufted pipit or African rock pipit is a small-sized, passerine bird that is native to South Africa and Lesotho. The yellow tufted pipit is commonly found in mountain terrain, and they create their habitats in high-altitude shrub-land, grassland, and rocky areas. The yellow tufted pipit is identified by its brown and gray feathers. The bird has a white-gray eyebrow and yellow markings within its wings and stomach. The call of the yellow tufted pipit allows the bird to stand out from other pipit species. The bird produces a repeated “whee-tsrreeu” that is loud and high-pitched. The yellow tufted pipit has a life expectancy ranging from two to three years old.
The mountain pipit is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae.
The striped pipit is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae, which is native to Africa southwards of the equator.
The ochre-breasted pipit is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae.
The Sokoke pipit is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae. It is found in Kenya and Tanzania. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. It has richly coloured upperparts, prominent pale wingbars, and a heavily streaked breast.
The buffy pipit is a species of bird in the Motacillidae family. It is found in plains and open countryside in southern and eastern Africa. The IUCN has assessed its conservation status as being of least concern.
Hemimacronyx is a proposed genus of birds in the pipit and wagtail family Motacillidae. It contains two species that are usually treated as belonging to two larger genera, Macronyx and Anthus. The plumage of the two species is more similar to that of the longclaws and the golden pipit, having brown barred backs and bright yellow breasts and throats. They are presumed to be closely related to these two groups, but the split has not been widely recognised. Both species are found in open areas of Africa. They are both threatened with extinction due to human activities, principally habitat loss.
The wood pipit or woodland pipit is a small passerine bird belonging to the pipit genus Anthus in the family Motacillidae. It was formerly included in the long-billed pipit but is now frequently treated as a separate species. It is a bird of miombo woodland in south-central Africa, unlike the long-billed pipit which inhabits open grassland. It perches in trees when flushed but forages on the ground for invertebrates.
