Home Log Out
Birdpedia - Australia         | Home | Birds | Calendar | Reserves | Field Trips | Sightings | Reports | Contacts | [HBW - BirdLife (v3)] 29/03/2024 12:21:34 PM
Species Database
Find
Quick Links
News
 
Species Details [Taxonomy: HBW - BirdLife (v3)] Print... Email... 

 NR    Australian Pipit* Id (Atlas): 647
    Anthus australis

Description (10)
Image of Australian Pipit
 

Other Names (World)
Australian Pipit, Richard's Pipit, Indian Pipit, New Zealand Pipit, Southern Pipit, Western Pipit, Groundlark, Ground Lark, Australian Groundlark, Native Lark

Family
Motacillidae (Pipits And Wagtails)

Size
16 - 18 cm

First Described (Guide)
Vieillot, 1818

Derivation
An'-thus - Gk, anthos, bird: australis - L., southern (Australia)

Abundance (Guide)
C - MC

Common. Usually sedentary or locally nomadic.

Habitat
Open country, forest clearings, grassland, grassy woodlands, beaches and hind-dunes, grassy roadside.

Range (Guide)
Australia.
 
Image of Range of Australian Pipit
Thought Australia, including Tasmania.
 
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Status NR
Secure.

Habits
Usually singly and less often in twos. Sometimes in small parties.

Food
Invertebrates, including insects, earthworms, spiders, crustaceans, millipedes and snails and seeds, particularly clover, grasses and thistles.

Voice
Call: Thin 'tswee' or sparrow-like 'chirrup'. Song: Repeated trilled 'peet' in flight.



Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (12)...)

 
Australian Pipit (Anthus australis) [XC826877]
     by Mark Harper from Loccota, Flinders Council, Tasmania, Australia (flight call)

 
Australian Pipit (Anthus australis) [XC352424]
     by Liam Manderson from Seal Rocks, Great Lakes Council, New South Wales, Australia (call)

Breeding Season (Guide)
August - December.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


Nest
Cup-shaped, composed of dried grasses, in a hollow in the ground, near or under a tussuck of grass, sometimes near a stone or bush.

Eggs (Guide)
2 - 4; off-white to light brown, spotted and clouded with dark grey and brown; tapered-oval; about 23 x 17 mm. Incubation: about 13 - 14 days; by female.

Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 12 - 15 days. Fed by both parents.

Subspecies
Not recognised as a species by BirdLife International. Considered a subspecies of Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae).

The following 5 subspecies are recognised:

  • australis Vieillot, 1818   -  West-central, central, eastern and south-eastern Australia. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae).
  • bilbali Mathews, 1912   -  South-western western Australia and south-central South Australia. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae).
  • rogersi Mathews, 1913   -  Coastal north-western Australia east to Cape York Peninsula. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae).
  • bistriatus (Swainson, 1838)   -  Tasmania, and islands in Bass Strait (King I, Flinders I). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae).
  • exiguus Greenway, 1935   -  East-central New Guinea. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Australasian Pipit (Anthus novaeseelandiae).


Similar Species
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus), which is slightly smaller, has a reddish face and breast (breeding plumage), streaking on the flanks, and larks.

Compare Images


References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9

More... see more information (images, calls, videos etc)


Files:
JPG files for Australian Pipit (Anthus australis) - 10 filesMP3 files for Australian Pipit (Anthus australis) - 1 files


More Information

Articles about the Australian Pipit

If you would like to read any articles about the Australian Pipit... Show Articles Show Articles (0)


No Pictures of Australian Pipit

If Birdpedia has no pictures of Australian Pipit or you would like to see more, then try the following...

      Show External Images from BING From BING (10)


No Videos of Australian Pipit

If Birdpedia has no videos of Australian Pipit or you would like to see more, then try the following..

      Show External Videos From BING (0)


Where can I observe this species?
Select an area (or leave blank) to see locations where this species has been recorded.

Area
  All   

Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location.

Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.
 
Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   GPS help
Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   Find GPS using Google Maps
Distance Bearing  
Get Sample GPS readings


On What Field Trips was this species observed?
Select an area (or leave blank), and a date range, to see field trips on which this species has been recorded.

Area
  All   

From To  
 

Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location.

Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.
 
Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or   GPS help
Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)
Deg Min Sec     Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
         or
Distance Bearing  
Get Sample GPS readings


Latest Sightings for Australian Pipit
Select the Area to restrict the Sightings.

Area
  All