Sprague's Pipit Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A small ground-dwelling songbird with an upright stance, a short, thin bill, and relatively long legs for its size.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Chipping Sparrow, smaller than a White-throated Sparrow. Similar in size to an American Pipit.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
• Color Pattern

  Buffy above, with dark markings on the back and wings. Whitish below with a buffy wash and stippling on the breast. Legs and feet are pale pink. The face is largely unpatterned, giving a blank or gentle expression and large-eyed appearance.

• Behavior

  Forages largely on the ground, out of sight among grasses, walking quickly and gleaning insects and seeds. Males perform a song-flight display while hovering over the territory, usually for bouts of a half-hour. Flocks form after breeding and during migration; wintering birds are usually solitary but sometimes found in small groups.

• Habitat

  Nests in native mixed-grass prairie of the northern Great Plains and in lightly grazed rangeland and pasture. In migration and winter, uses similar habitats as well as some cropland and grassy fields.