Nicholson's Pipit (Anthus nicholsoni)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Nicholson's Pipit

Anthus nicholsoni Sharpe, 1884

25 gWeight

Nicholson's pipit (Anthus nicholsoni) is a small passerine bird belonging to the pipit genus Anthus in the family Motacillidae.

Busiest months: November · Most records: South Africa, Namibia, Eswatini

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: November · Most records: South Africa, Namibia, Eswatini

Nicholson's Pipit has been recorded at 47 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Suikerbosrand NRSouth Africa131 records
  2. Sani Pass (ZA) – low elevationSouth Africa86 records
  3. Daan Viljoen Game ReserveNamibia70 records
More places
  1. Karoo NPSouth Africa61 records
  2. Namibgrens Guest FarmNamibia54 records
  3. Avis DamNamibia53 records
  4. Wakkerstroom areaSouth Africa48 records
  5. Malolotja Nature ReserveEswatini32 records
  6. Pilanesberg NPSouth Africa24 records
  7. Rietvlei NRSouth Africa23 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South AfricaNamibiaEswatiniLesothoAngola

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

Nicholson's pipit (Anthus nicholsoni) is a small passerine bird belonging to the pipit genus Anthus in the family Motacillidae. It was formerly included with the long-billed pipit (Anthus similis) but is now frequently treated as a separate species. It is a bird found in southern Africa.

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

Questions

How big is the Nicholson's Pipit?

The Nicholson's Pipit weighs around 25 g.

Where does the Nicholson's Pipit live?

Its breeding range: Africa: southern. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Namibia and Eswatini.

When is the best time to see the Nicholson's Pipit?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).

What does the Nicholson's Pipit eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Nicholson's Pipit in?

It belongs to the family Wagtails, Pipits (Motacillidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Weight
25 g
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
More measurements
Wing
90 mm
Tail
70 mm
Bill
20 mm
Tarsus
26 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: southern

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 PipitRichard's PipitAnthus richardiPaddyfield PipitPaddyfield PipitAnthus rufulusAustralian PipitAustralian PipitAnthus australisNew Zealand PipitNew Zealand PipitAnthus novaeseelandiaeAfrican PipitAfrican PipitAnthus cinnamomeusMountain PipitMountain PipitAnthus hoeschiBlyth's PipitBlyth's PipitAnthus godlewskiiTawny PipitTawny PipitAnthus campestrisLong-billed PipitLong-billed PipitAnthus similisWood PipitWood PipitAnthus nyassaeBuffy PipitBuffy PipitAnthus vaalensisPlain-backed PipitPlain-backed PipitAnthus leucophrys
Nicholson's Pipit

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by sdrov. ↗

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