Short-billed Pipit Anthus furcatus Scientific name definitions

Short-billed Pipit is a species of grasslands of the Southern Cone. Of all the South American pipits, this is the one that most closely resembles that northern hemisphere Sprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii), and it is not surprising that these two species are closely related, along with Yellowish Pipit (Anthus chii) and the previously conspecific Puna Pipit (Anthus brevirostris). Short-billed Pipit also is known for its ability to fly high up in the air and sing a long flight song, seemingly without stopping. Displaying Short-billed Pipit can spend at least 20 minutes in the air without coming down, and maybe longer. At these times they can be incredibly difficult to spot as they fly high up and they become lost particularly against blue sky. In terms of their plumage, this is a more subtly marked species than a Correndera Pipit (Anthus correndera) and a less warmly toned looking bird than a Hellmayr's Pipit (Anthus hellmayri). In fresh plumage, Short-billed Pipit has the unique pattern in South America of showing white tips to the back feathers, creating a scaled rather than striped look for at least a period of time. Short-billed Pipit have pale faces and lack strong facial markings, similar to Hellmayr's Pipit, however Short-billed Pipit are much more strongly streaked on the breast and on the flanks than Hellmayr's Pipit.