Sprague's pipit

Found in mixed or short grass prairie throughout the Northern Great Plains of North America. In Canada, you can find Sprague's Pipit in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. In the United States, they can be found in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

The Sprague's pipit is classified as Vulnerable (VU), considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

of the Sprague's Pipit make it one of the least-known birds in North America. Territorial males have a flight display that may last up to 3 hours, the longest known flight display of all avian species. Although little is know about this species, it is known that since Audubon first named this bird in 1843, it has suffered from severe population decline associated with the loss of prairies from cultivation, overgrazing, and invasion by exotic plant species. More

Sprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii) is a small passerine bird that breeds in the short and mixed-grass prairies of North America and overwinters in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Easiest to identify by the distinctive descending call that is delivered in the breeding season from a considerable height. Males and females are cryptically coloured and similar in appearance and are a buffy brown with darker streaking, slender bills and pinkish to yellow legs. More

General DescriptionThe adult Sprague's Pipit is a pale, slender, sparrow-sized bird with white outer tail feathers, a thin bill, pale legs, and a heavily streaked back. Adults reach a length of 6.5 inches (16.5 cm), with a wingspan of 10 inches (25.4 cm), and a weight of 23.7 to 24.0 grams. The sexes are alike. The sides of the head and indistinct buffy eye-rings are pale. More

* Sprague's pipits nest on the ground, where they prefer dense, grassy, and relatively tall vegetation. * Four- or five-egg clutches are typical, but clutches of six eggs have been reported. * Incubation, conducted exclusively by the female, lasts from 10 to 11 days. * The female is also primarily, if not exclusively, responsible for tending to the chicks. More

* The Sprague's Pipit was named by Audubon for Isaac Sprague, an artist who accompanied him on his trip up the Missouri River. * Territorial males have a flight display that may last up to 3 hours, the longest known flight display of all avian species. * Apparently widespread during early settlement, this species now is only common where suitable habitat is left. More

Sprague's Pipit DrawingThe Sprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii) is a small ground nesting songbird that is endemic to the Canadian prairies and northern Great Plains of the United States. Although the species is relatively common in suitable habitat over much of its range, populations have been declining in many areas. This, coupled with a relative lack of information on the biology and management of this species, has led to the inclusion of the Sprague's Pipit on the Blue List of species that may be at risk in Alberta. More

Illustration of the Sprague's PipitA variety of factors may be responsible for the recent declines in continental and provincial populations of the Sprague's Pipit. Although climatic factors, such as drought, have been shown to decrease local populations of this species, the following discussion focuses on factors with an anthropogenic origin, which may be reversed through appropriate management or conservation activities. These include Loss of Native Prairie, Cattle Grazing, Burning, and Haying. More

Sprague's PipitSprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii) is a small passerine bird. Breeding Range The breeding range of the Sprague's Pipits includes the Northern Great Plains of North America. More specifically, it nests from the Peace River District of Alberta (Semenchuk 1992), Turtleford, Prince Albert and Shoal Lake, Saskatchewan (Smith 1996), and central Manitoba (Manitoba Avian Research Committee 2003), south through North Dakota, to south-central Montana, western South Dakota and northwestern Minnesota (A.O.U. 1998). More

Bent Life History for the Sprague's Pipit - the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. SPRAGUE'S PIPIT ANTHUS SPRAGUEI (Audubon) HABITS Sprague's pipit, or the Missouri skylark, was discovered by Audubon on the Upper Missouri and named for one of his companions, Isaac Sprague, who shot the first specimen near Fort Union on June 19, 1843. More

Home Guide to Birds of North America Sprague's Pipit Conservation Conservation and Population trends = Breeding Bird Survey - Breeding Bird Survey - The following information is based on results compiled from the North American Breeding Bird Survey. * United States - Slight decrease in population * Canada - Significant decrease in population The BBS is a cooperative effort between the U.S. More

Sprague's Pipit is much less common. It is distinguished from American Pipit by its lighter plumage, with prominent dark eyes in in a light face. Unlike American Pipits, it does not usually occur in flocks, but is generally alone. Another good identification clue is that Sprague's Pipit does not pump its tail up and down as does American Pipit. Juvenile Sprague's Pipits have spotting rather than streaking on their upper breasts. More

Sprague's Pipit and asked if they were common here. I told him there are few documented sightings but Illinois birders are starting to look for them. Again as Bob has posted "Unfortunately, the hill is closed to the public during the week. Only DuPage Forest Preserve District volunteers who've been vetted by the District, signed a waiver and have keys to the gate are permitted on the hill on a weekday. The hill will be open to the public this coming weekend from 11AM. More

Sprague's pipit is protected by the Illinois wildlife code of 1971 *03* and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 *04*. More

The Sprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii) is identified as a focal species of conservation concern in the United States and is listed in Canada under COSEWIC. This level of concern is due to population declines related to the substantial loss of native grasslands over the last two centuries. Sprague's Pipits are endemic to native grasslands in southern Canada and the northern Great Plains of Montana and North Dakota, with historical breeding in South Dakota, and the Red River Valley of Minnesota. More

Breeding distribution of the Sprague's Pipit in the United States and southern Canada, based on Breeding Bird Survey data, 1985-1991. Scale represents average number of individuals detected per route per year. Map from Price, J., S. Droege, and A. Price. 1995. The summer atlas of North American birds. Academic Press, London, England. 364 pages. - Keys to management include providing suitable grassland habitat, especially native prairie, with intermediate vegetation height and low visual obstruction, and controlling succession therein. More

with Sprague's Pipit consists of seeing them in MT 2 years ago and Brad has never seen one. We checked 6 different field guides. The bird we located as the possible candidate did not exactly match any of them. But it certainly was not an immature Horned Lark. It took quite a bit of scoping to find the bird and it was hard to keep track of. More

Sprague's Pipit - Anthus spragueiiSprague's Pipits can be difficult to observe, given their tendency to freeze or run when approach rather than fly. They also tend to be found singly or in pairs, not in flocks like the American Pipit. They are true birds of the shortgrass prairie, and have declined as this native habitat has been converted to agricultural land. While normally found on the ground, they perform one of the longest flight displays of any bird. More