Sprague's Pipit

Sprague's Pipit is a shy, superbly camouflaged songbird of native North American prairie. Pale buffy-brown and finely streaked above with a plain, unmarked face, it is far more often heard than seen, spending most of its time walking unobtrusively through dense grass.

Compared to the American Pipit, Sprague's Pipit is paler overall, with crisp, fine streaking on the back, a plain buffy face lacking strong markings, pale legs, and a shorter, less obvious tail-bobbing habit. It is famous among birders for its habit of flushing almost underfoot and flying off low, only to disappear again into the grass.

Key field marks

• Pale, buffy-brown plumage with crisp streaking on the back and crown
• Plain, unpatterned face without a strong eyebrow or mask
• Pale pinkish legs
• Streaked breast, whitish belly
• Extremely secretive, walking through dense grass rather than out in the open

Similar species

American Pipit is darker, more heavily streaked below, has darker legs, more actively bobs its tail, and readily walks on bare open ground rather than staying hidden in grass. Vesper Sparrow and other grassland sparrows have thicker, conical bills rather than the pipit's thin, pointed bill.

Habitat

A true grassland specialist, Sprague's Pipit requires large expanses of native, relatively undisturbed short- and mixed-grass prairie with moderate grass height; it avoids cropland, heavily grazed pasture, and areas with woody encroachment.

Range

Breeds on the northern Great Plains of the United States and the prairie provinces of Canada. Winters in grasslands of the southern United States (especially Texas) and Mexico. Its restriction to native prairie has made it one of the most range-limited grassland songbirds in North America.

Behavior

Sprague's Pipit is notoriously difficult to observe on the ground, walking quietly through grass and flushing reluctantly, then dropping back down some distance away. It is best detected by its remarkable song flight.

Voice

The male sings while circling extremely high overhead, sometimes several hundred feet up, for minutes at a time — a thin, descending, jingling series of notes that seems to fall from the sky, one of the most distinctive sounds of the northern prairie.

Feeding and nesting

Feeds on insects and other invertebrates picked from the ground and low vegetation, with seeds taken more often outside the breeding season. The nest is a well-hidden grass cup built on the ground, often domed or partly covered by overhanging grass, making it extremely hard to find.