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Australian Pipit (Anthus australis) Alternate name(s): "Ground-lark", "Richard's Pipit" Aboriginal name(s): Race "australis": "bamay yanbay" [western bundjalung]; Race "bilbali": "eroldel", "warradjolon", "beriberit" (WA) Size: 16-20 cm; wing span 29-33 cm Body mass: 25-36 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Australian Pipits are small bushland birds. Their plumage is highly cryptic. The front is light-buff with brown streaks, mostly on the chest. The crescents on the sides of the throat continue sideways, encircling the ear coverts. The belly, vent and undertail coverts are light-buff. The lores, eyebrows and eye-rings are also light-buff. The crown and the back, including the tail, are mostly brown, with darker streaking in particular on the mantle and with dark brownish-grey flight feathers. The eyes have dark-brown irises. The slender bill has an upper mandible that is near-black and much darker than the lower, horn-coloured one. The legs and feet are pale orange-brown.

Taxonomy, classification See Australian Pipit at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Australasian Pipit is available HERE . There are several races of Australasian Pipits. Race "rogersi", which occupies the far northern coastal regions of Australia and offshore islands, is also found in New Guinea. Another population (the "New Zealand group") is found in New Zealand and surrounding smaller islands. For details on their individual ranges see a field guide. Three races, namely "australis", "bilbali" and "bistriatus", are endemic to Australia. Altogether the four races found in Australia populate basically all of the Australian mainland, most of Tasmania (except the south-western corner) and several offshore islands. The only parts of the continent where they are only found in favourable conditions (after substantial inland rainfall) are the deserts of WA and parts of the tropical North of Australia, just off the North coast, including e.g. the Kimberley. By far the most widespread race is nominate race "australis", which is found everywhere EXCEPT Tasmania, Eyre peninsula, far south-western WA and the far North of the continent (Kimberley, Top End of the NT, Cape York peninsula). Australian Pipits are very versatile. They live mostly in open grassland, paddocks or farmland, including crops. In particular, they specialize in areas without visible current plant growth, such as fallow fields, gibber and dried-up mudflats (e.g. when ephemeral lakes or ephemeral wetlands dry up). They are also at home in dunes with spinifex grass. Where to look? How to find this species? The most likely way one usually picks up an Australian Pipit when traveling, at least in inland Australia, is by keeping an eye on what flushes ahead of one's vehicle while driving along country roads (see below). The characteristic giveaway are white outer feathers in the tail, similar to a Jacky Winter's, but Australian Pipits have a more slender build and a more undulating flight style.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "australis" We first spotted Australian Pipits, race "australis", in June 2007, on a neighbour's paddock at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, NSW. Since then, Australian Pipits, race "australis", have been seen by us in various locations in inland NSW, e.g. Upper Bullawa Creek, Mt. Kaputar NP, 40 km East of Narrabri, but also in open broadacre farmland, e.g. near Bellata, Wee Waa, Burren Junction and Cryon, NSW. Many Australian Pipits, race "australis", were spotted by us on a trip to outback NSW and South Australia in March 2008. In October 2010 we confirmed that an area with particularly high numbers of Australian Pipits is the road from Burren Junction to Cryon, north-western NSW. There we found them on the road or by the roadside in many groups of up to about 10 birds each. This was again confirmed in June 2012 and several times since then. Australian Pipits, race "australis", were also spotted by us East of the Great Dividing Range in January 2011, on sand dunes with Spinifex grass near Old Bar, NSW, and later on a coastal cliff at Crescent Head, NSW. C. Hayne reports seeing Australian Pipits, race "australis", on farms and also on paddocks and by roadsides in the area of Moree, NSW. Often more than 30 are seen at once. In January 2011, more than 80 were seen along one short section of a farm road. Australian Pipits, race "australis", were also spotted by R. Plumtree at Ensay South, VIC, in January 2014. J. Greaves reports finding Australian Pipits, race "australis", at Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, in August 2016. We spotted an Australian Pipit, race "australis", at Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, in June 2019. M. Eaton reports finding Australian Pipits, race "australis", in various locations in QLD semi-regularly. Race "bilbali" J. Greaves reports spotting an Australian Pipit, race "bilbali", at the Albany, WA, airport in January 2015, in Augusta, WA, in March 2015. M. Eaton found an Australian Pipit, race "bilbali", at Margaret River, WA, in April 2019. Race "bistriatus" D. Wilczynska reports spotting an Australian Pipit, race "bistriatus", on the shore of Lake Pedder, in Franklin-Godon Wild Rivers NP, TAS, in March 2015. M. Eaton found an Australian Pipit, race "bistriatus", at the Orielton Lagoon, near Sorell, TAS, in April 2021. Race "rogersi" P. Brown reports spotting an Australian Pipit, race "rogersi", on a lawn on the campus of Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, in February 2018. Another was found at Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, in February 2020. M. Mearns found an Australian Pipit, race "rogersi", at Karumba, QLD, in September 2019.

Photos

Race "australis"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an Australian Pipit looking sideways
[Crescent Head, NSW, October 2013]

Frontal view of an Australian Pipit looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Emerald, QLD, August 2019]

Near-frontal view of an Australian Pipit
[Crescent Head, NSW, October 2013]

Near-lateral view of an Australian Pipit
[Crescent Head, NSW, October 2013]

Lateral view of an Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]

Lateral view of an Australian Pipit
[Crescent Head, NSW, October 2013]

Lateral view of an Australian Pipit on red soil; everything, including birds, seems to be a bit more reddish in the Red Centre of Australia (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, August 2016]

Lateral view of an Australian Pipit on a farm on black soil
[Near Bellata, NSW, September 2011]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Mackay, QLD, July 2021]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Pipit looking backwards
[Lake Bindegolly NP, near Thargomindah, QLD, June 2019]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Pipit
[Crescent Head, NSW, October 2013]

Dorsal view of an Australian Pipit
[Crescent Head, NSW, October 2013]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a juvenile Australian Pipit looking sideways; note the dark centres of the feathers
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2014]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Australian Pipit looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]

Close-up lateral view of a juvenile Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Australian Pipit looking backwards
[Goran Lake, NSW, November 2011]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Australian Pipit
[Goran Lake, NSW, November 2011]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]

Race "bilbali"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Pipit on the ground (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Albany, WA, January 2015]

Dorsal view of an Australian Pipit looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Margaret River, WA, April 2019]

Dorsal view of an Australian Pipit on the ground (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Albany, WA, January 2015]

Race "bistriatus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of an Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Orielton Lagoon, near Sorell, TAS, April 2021]

Lateral view of an Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Pedder, Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers NP, TAS, March 2015]

Lateral view of an Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Orielton Lagoon, near Sorell, TAS, April 2021]

Dorsal view of an Australian Pipit looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Orielton Lagoon, near Sorell, TAS, April 2021]

Race "rogersi"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Karumba, QLD, September 2019]

Near-frontal view of an Australian Pipit checking out the observer (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Karumba, QLD, September 2019]

Near-lateral view of an Australian Pipit looking at the observer (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, February 2020]

Near-lateral view of an Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Leanyer Sewage Treatment Plant, Darwin, NT, February 2020]

Lateral view of an Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, February 2018]

Lateral view of an Australian Pipit (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Karumba, QLD, September 2019]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair/small mob

Australian Pipits are often found on the barest patches of earth to be found - sealed roads, dirt roads, trodden-down paddocks or gravel, beaches, coastal dunes or cliffs. The colours of their plumage provide them with camouflage to survive in such open terrain. Outside the breeding season they can be found in mobs of up to roughly 10 birds.

Have you ever seen such a tiny speck on the road ahead of you? If yes, in Australia it is likely to be an Australian Pipit - click on image to see the complete picture (photo taken with a 300-mm tele-lens)
[Near Cryon, NSW, October 2010]

Another example of an Australian Pipit on a country road
[Between Pilliga and Burren Junction, NSW, May 2022]

Australian Pipits are amongst the first explorers to reclaim land when, e.g., an ephemeral lake dries up
[Goran Lake, NSW, May 2013]

Australian Pipits are amongst the first explorers to reclaim land when, e.g., an ephemeral lake dries up
[Goran Lake, NSW, May 2013]

Distant lateral view of an Australian Pipit on a gravel road
[Goran Lake, NSW, July 2013]

Near-lateral view of an Australian Pipit using a rock as its lookout
[Near Maules Creek, NSW, December 2014]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Pipit on a dune with Spinifex grass
[Old Bar, NSW, July 2013]

Dorsal view of an Australian Pipit on a coastal cliff
[Crescent Head, NSW, October 2013]

Australian Pipit taking a dust bath (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Oxley Common, Brisbane, QLD, June 2017]

Food, Diet

To the best of our knowledge Australian Pipits feed on seeds and invertebrates like earthworms, but the fact that they are often found on sealed roads may indicate that they take dead insects as well.

Lateral view of an Australian Pipit with its prey, an earth worm (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, February 2018]

Near-lateral view of an Australian Pipit with its prey, a grasshopper (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Orielton Lagoon, near Sorell, TAS, April 2021]

Lateral view of an Australian Pipit with a morsel of food (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Near Narrabri, NSW, November 2020]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Pipit that has found some food on a dune with Spinifex grass
[Old Bar, NSW, July 2013]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Pipit carrying food, possibly for a brood it was feeding at the time (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Oxley Common, Brisbane, QLD, September 2017]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

ozpipit_20201115.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Contact calls (group of 6)	© MD
ozpipit_20181130.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Territorial call	© MD
ozpipit_20200221.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Territorial calls	© MD
ozpipit_20200206.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Territorial calls (display flight)	© MD
ozpipit_20240102.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	Territorial calls (display flight)	© MD
ozpipit_20210517_2.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	? (break of dawn)	© MD
ozpipit_20210517_3.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	? (break of dawn)	© MD
ozpipit_20210517.m4a	australis (NW NSW)	?	© MD

More Australian Pipit sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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