Derivation
An'-thus - Gk, anthos, bird: cervinus - L., cervinus, stag-colored, referring to the color of the throat
Habitat
During passage migration in moist to wet, open areas, including damp grasslands, lawns and grassy edges of swamps, lakes, creeks and rivers, agricultural areas and sometimes on bare ground.
Afghanistan (P), Algeria, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain (NB) (P), Benin, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria (NB), Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, China (mainland), Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Côte dIvoire, Cyprus (NB), Czech Republic, Denmark (P), Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland (B) (P), France (P), Gambia, Germany (P), Ghana, Greece (P), Hong Kong (China), India, Indonesia, Iran [Islamic Republic of], Iraq (P), Israel, Italy (P), Japan, Jordan (NB) (P), Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Mali, Malta (NB), Mauritania, Mexico, Mongolia (B), Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway (B), Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal (NB), Qatar, Romania, Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B), Russia (European) (B), Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia (Slovak Republic), Somalia, South Korea, Spain (NB), Sudan, Sweden (B) (P), Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan (China), Tajikistan, Tanzania [United Republic of], Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey (NB), Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine (NB) (P), United Arab Emirates, USA (B), Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia.
Vagrant to Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska), Faroe Islands, Gabon, Gibraltar, Guinea, Guinea-bissau, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of], Maldives, Micronesia [Federated States of], Netherlands Antilles, Niger, Palau, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Breeds in northern Holarctic, mostly north of Arctic Circle, in narrow band from northern Fennoscandia east to north-eastern Russia (Chukotsk Peninsula, south to Kamchatka) and extreme north-western USA (western Alaska). Winters predominantly in Africa (mostly south of Sahara) and south-eastern Asia.
Population
Estimated population is 5,000,000 - 50,000,000 (2010).
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) [XC552183]
by Albert Lastukhin from Nereto, TE, Italy (call, flight call)
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) [XC387087]
by Terje Kolaas from Uppsala, Uppsala l\u00e4n, Sweden (call, flight call, trekroep)
Nest
A moss covered hollow under a shrub, lined with grass, hair and feathers.
Eggs (Guide)
5 - 6; smooth, glossy, variable grey to pinkish-olive with red-brown speckling or blotching.
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Possibly forms a clade with Rosy Pipit (Anthus roseatus), Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis), Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta), Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus) and Buff-bellied Pipit (Anthus rubescens). Birds from western part of Eurasian range (east to Taymyr Peninsula), on average slightly larger and with more contrast in plumage, sometimes recognized as subspecies rufogularis. Variation, however, is apparently clinal.
Similar Species
Female and immature non-breeding with vagrant Pechora Pipit (Anthus gustavi) which has less heavily streaked underparts and a less prominent malar streak.
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
BirdLife International Species Factsheet