Bird Album
Buffy Pipit
Anthus vaalensis Shelley, 1900
16–18 cmLength27 gWeight
The buffy pipit (Anthus vaalensis) is a species of bird in the Motacillidae family.
Busiest months: September · Most records: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia
Where and when it's recorded
Buffy Pipit has been recorded at 105 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 9 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Rietvlei NRSouth Africa147 records
- TundavalaAngola59 records
- Pilanesberg NPSouth Africa28 records
More places
- Okavango Delta – Kwara CampBotswana27 records
- Suikerbosrand NRSouth Africa25 records
- Moremi Game Reserve – KhwaiBotswana20 records
- Bwabwata NP – Mahango riverside loopNamibia20 records
- Cleveland Dam/Haka Game ParkZimbabwe19 records
- Liuwa Plain NPZambia19 records
- Benfontein NRSouth Africa19 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 buffy pipit (Anthus vaalensis) 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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Buffy Pipit?
The Buffy Pipit is about 16–18 cm long and weighs around 27 g.
Where does the Buffy Pipit live?
Its breeding range: Africa: southern, south-central, eastern. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.
When is the best time to see the Buffy Pipit?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Buffy Pipit endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Buffy Pipit as Least Concern.
What does the Buffy Pipit eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Buffy Pipit in?
It belongs to the family Wagtails, Pipits (Motacillidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 16–18 cm
- Weight
- 27 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 103 mm
- Tail
- 79 mm
- Bill
- 17 mm
- Tarsus
- 29 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: southern, south-central, eastern
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Wagtails, Pipits Motacillidae
- Genus
- Anthus
Other birds in the genus Anthus
Richard's PipitAnthus richardi
Paddyfield PipitAnthus rufulus
Australian PipitAnthus australis
New Zealand PipitAnthus novaeseelandiae
African PipitAnthus cinnamomeus
Mountain PipitAnthus hoeschi
Blyth's PipitAnthus godlewskii
Tawny PipitAnthus campestris
Long-billed PipitAnthus similis
Nicholson's PipitAnthus nicholsoni
Wood PipitAnthus nyassae
Plain-backed PipitAnthus leucophrys
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Rogério Ferreira. ↗
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