American Pipit

Anthus rubescens (Tunstall, 1771)

16 cmLength24 cmWingspan21 gWeight

This small gray-brown bird often runs about on the ground.

Busiest months: October–November · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Upperparts gray-brown with paler streaks
Breast and flanks pale yellowish-brown with indistinct streaks
Belly whitish
Bill, legs and feet dark

Voice

The call is a thin, high-pitched “sip”.

Where and when it's recorded

American Pipit has been recorded at 794 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 15 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Southeast Farallon IslandUnited States4,816 records
Hornsby BendUnited States4,698 records
Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water RanchUnited States4,074 records

More places

San Jacinto Wildlife AreaUnited States3,773 records
Whitefish PointUnited States3,703 records
Glendale Recharge PondsUnited States3,314 records
Piute PondsUnited States2,899 records
IRWD San Joaquin Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary, IrvineUnited States2,815 records
Yolo Bypass Wildlife AreaUnited States2,807 records
Hagerman NWRUnited States2,778 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Canada Mexico Bermuda St. Pierre & Miquelon United Kingdom Bahamas France

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The American pipit (Anthus rubescens), formerly known as the buff-bellied pipit, is a small songbird native to North America. It was first described by Marmaduke Tunstall in his 1771 Ornithologia Britannica. It was formerly classified as a form of the water pipit.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the American Pipit?

The American Pipit is about 16 cm long, with a wingspan of 24 cm and weighs around 21 g.

Where does the American Pipit live?

Its breeding range: North America: Canada and Alaska to northeastern USA and Greenland. Also central, southern Rocky Mountains (western North America). It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Mexico.