Alpine pipit

The alpine pipit (Anthus gutturalis) is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae. It is found in New Guinea.

Description
The Alpine Pipet is a medium sized bird that lives in the Alpine Grasslands. It has a light brown back and wings with tan colored tips to its back feathers. Its chest is a strong tan color, matching the color of its similar tan tips of its back feathers and wings. The Pipit has a skinny pointed beak. Directly under the tail, the bird has medium length red legs attached to long-toed pronged feet. The Pipet also has three long tail feathers that extend about two inches off the back of its body.

Bird Song
Alpine Pipet sing when they are in flight right above the ground. The Alpine Pipet’s song sounds like “tsee tsee '' repeatedly. It is a high pitched quick noise. The Pipit does this many times for a long period of time, making a high pitched bird song.

Bird song recording: Click Here to Listen

Diet and Foraging
Alpine Pipits eats insects and their larvae. Alpine Pipet eat arthropods, grass seeds, berries and green herbaceous matter. Alpine Pipet forage on the ground, waddling, and will also forage in groups. Alpine Pipet fly up to rocks, bushes, or trees on the forest’s edges when they are threatened. Alpine Pipets will also hold their bill at a 45-degree angle towards the sky while scavenging.

Habitat
The Alpine Pipit is native to Indonesia: Papua New Guinea. It lives in alpine grassland at the highest part of the mountain ranges in Papua New Guinea. These mountains are from 3200m to 4500m high, and sometimes the Alpine Pipit will go down to mountains 2500 m high. The Alpine Pipet is often found near shrubs and short grass. The system it lives in is Terrestrial, and its habitat type is Grassland.

Extinction
The Globally Threatened ranking is under the “Least Concern” category. The species is restricted to West Papua, but this does not seem to effect the population, as the population trend is stable.

Breeding
Alpine Pipet breed in the wet season during the months, April, September, and October. Their single nestlings have been found during this time, and they are made up of fine grass and located on a steep bank. Alpine Pipets do not migrate for breeding since they stay in the same locations all year round.