Other Names (World)
Buff-bellied Pipit, American Pipit, American Water Pipit, American Rock Pipit, Siberian Pipit (japonicus), Siberian Water Pipit (japonicus)
Bahamas, Canada (B) (P), Cayman Islands, China (mainland), El Salvador, Greenland (B), Guatemala, Honduras, India, Iran [Islamic Republic of] (NB), Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia (Asian) (B), South Korea, St Pierre and Miquelon (B) (P), Taiwan (China), Turks and Caicos Islands, USA (B).
Vagrant to Afghanistan, Bermuda, Bhutan, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vietnam.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 20,000,000 (2010).
Buff-bellied Pipit (Anthus rubescens) [XC431957]
by Lars Edenius from Yukon, Unorganized, Yukon, Yukon Territory, Canada (call, song)
Buff-bellied Pipit (Anthus rubescens) [XC395155]
by Sunny from Emek HaMayanot, Israel, North District, Israel (flight call)
Subspecies
Possibly forms a clade with Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis), Rosy Pipit (Anthus roseatus), Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus), Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus) and Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta). May form a superspecies, and until recently treated as conspecific, with Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus) and Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta). Recent DNA studies, as well as plumage differences, suggest that subspecies may represent more than one species. On the other hand, pacificus is doubtfully distinct from nominate in terms of morphology, and merged with latter by some authors. Geographical border between nominate subspecies and japonicus uncertain, and population breeding in extreme north-eastern Siberia possibly belongs with former; further study needed.
Proposed subspecies geophilus (from Aleutians) synonymized with nominate; haermsi, described on basis of specimen from non-breeding area in central Asia (eastern Uzbekistan), considered better treated as synonym of japonicus.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
japonicus Temminck & Schlegel, 1847 - Breeds north, central and eastern Russia in south-eastern Taymyr, western Siberian Plateau, and from east of R Lena, Yakutsk region and L Baikal east to Chukotsk Peninsula, Commander Is, Sakhalin and Kuril Is. Winters in southern Asia.
pacificus Todd, 1935 - Breeds western North America (Alaska, and Coast Range south to Oregon). Winters south to western Mexico.
alticola Todd, 1935 - Breeds central and southern Rocky Mts (southern from southern British Columbia), also locally in mountains west to California (south-western USA). Winters south to Mexico.
rubescens (Tunstall, 1771) - Breeds northern and eastern Canada, western Greenland and extreme north-eastern USA. Winters south to Central America.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet