Sprague's Pipit
Anthus spragueii, SPPI
Size and Shape
L: 6.5” WS” 10” WT: 0.88oz Medium-sized sparrow-like songbird.
Colour Pattern
Dark streaked back and crown with tan edges. White wing-bars on ends of secondaries. Face is pale and buffy with darker ear coverts. Has a necklace of fine brown streaks on its buff breast, but no streaks on the flanks. Legs are pale pink. Slight moustachial stripe makes it look like it has baggy eyes. Extensive white on outer tail feathers.
Juvenile: Back is brown scaly with white edges, white wing bars are thicker, and has a very pale grey eye ring (not quite a perfect ring as with water birds).
Behaviour
Longest flight display of any songbird—usually, they will remain high up in the air for about ½ hour or longer. Feeds on insects, spiders and some seeds, crouching in the grass. It is very difficult to see on the ground, but near-impossible to miss its distinctive call in the air.
Call
Flight: at high altitude, a rolling, jingling cascade of shirl shirl shirl… _also gives a sharp, slightly nasal squeet; _reminiscent of sharper calls by Barn Swallow (according to Sibley’s, but I don’t really see what they’re on about…)
Habitat
Shortgrass praries with bare ground.
Could Be Confused With
American Pipit: APPI has less white on tail feathers, and has a grey back instead of brown. Has more distinctive supercilium contrast. Similar shirl song, but does not descend in pitch.
Vesper Sparrow: streaks extend to flanks, reddish epaulettes, thicker beak which is half the thickness of its length, unlike SPPI, which is a quarter the thickness of its length. Call is very different.