Sprague's pipit

Sprague's pipit (Anthus spragueii) is a small songbird (passerine) in the family Motacillidae that breeds in the short- and mixed-grass prairies of North America. Migratory, it spends the winters in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Sprague's pipits are unusual among songbirds in that they sing high in the sky, somewhat like a goldfinch or skylark. It is more often identified by its distinctive descending song heard from above than by being seen on the ground. Males and females are cryptically coloured and similar in appearance; they are a buffy brown with darker streaking, slender bills and pinkish to yellow legs. Sprague's pipit summer habitat is primarily native grasslands in the north central prairies of the United States and Canada (distinguishing them from the American subspecies of the buff-bellied pipit, which breed in the northern Rocky Mountains and the Arctic). The species was named after the botanical illustrator Isaac Sprague.

Description
Measurements:


 * Length: 5.9-6.7 in (15-17 cm)
 * Weight: 0.6-0.9 oz (18.2-27 g)
 * Wingspan: 10 in (25.4 cm)

Range
Found in mixed or short grass prairie throughout the central northern Great Plains of North America. In Canada, Sprague's pipit breed in southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and southwest Manitoba. In the United States, they breed in northeastern and central Montana, western and central North Dakota, northwest South Dakota, and in the Red River Valley of Minnesota.

Sprague's pipits winter in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. In the United States it occurs from southern California (casually), south-central and southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, central and eastern Texas, occasionally found in southern Kansas, southern Oklahoma, very rarely in southern Missouri, Tennessee and northwestern Mississippi south through Arkansas and Louisiana. In October 2016, an individual was found in Connecticut for the first time, suggesting that they could be vagrants to other places as well. In Mexico it is found in the interior from northeastern Sonora and Nuevo Leon south to Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi and along the Atlantic Coast from Tamaulipas to central Veracruz. It is uncommon in the Central Volcanic belt, rare in west Tobasco and a vagrant to s Guerrero (Howell and Webb 1995).

Status
Sprague's pipits were listed in 1999 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as “threatened”; the status was re-examined and confirmed in May 2000. Sprague's pipits were officially listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) as “threatened” on 5 June 2003 (Jones 2010). In the United States, Sprague's pipits are a candidate for listing as “endangered” or “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; however, listing Sprague's pipits is precluded by higher listing priorities.

Habitat
They breed in habitat with minimal human disturbance, such as grazing, haying or other human development. Sprague's pipit is a ground nesting passerine and standing dead vegetation is used to build the canopy over the nest.

Reproduction
Breeding begins as early as late April and continues until mid to late August. Nests are a small cup of grass found on the ground with standing dead vegetation folded over to create a canopy. There is a single entrance to the nest. Four to six eggs are typically laid within the nests with an average incubation time of 13–14 days.

Renesting and second broods have been occasionally documented for Sprague's pipit, as has polygyny; however, they are predominantly single-brooded (Jones et al. 2010).

Diet
Sprague's pipits eat various insects, spiders, and sometimes seeds. During the breeding season, the adults are almost entirely insectivorous and feed the young on insects as well.

Books
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 * Robbins, M. B., and B. C. Dale. 1999. Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii). In The Birds of North America, No. 439 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Thesis

 * Davis SK. Ph.D. (2003). Habitat selection and demography of mixed-grass prairie songbirds in a fragmented landscape. The University of Regina (Canada), Canada.
 * Klippenstine DR. M.Sc. (2005). Can egg mimicry by Brown-headed Cowbirds explain the acceptance of brood parasitism by grassland passerines?. University of Manitoba (Canada), Canada.
 * Sutter GC. Ph.D. (1996). Habitat selection and prairie drought in relation to grassland bird community structure and the nesting ecology of Sprague's pipit, Anthus spragueii. The University of Regina (Canada), Canada.

Articles
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 * Dale BC, Martin PA & Taylor PS. (1997). Effects of hay management on grassland songbirds in Saskatchewan. Wildlife Society Bulletin. vol 25, no 3. p. 616-626.
 * Davis SK. (2003). Nesting ecology of mixed-grass prairie songbirds in southern Saskatchewan. Wilson Bulletin. vol 115, no 2. p. 119-130.
 * Davis SK. (2004). Area sensitivity in grassland passerines: Effects of patch size, patch shape, and vegetation structure on bird abundance and occurrence in southern Saskatchewan. Auk. vol 121, no 4. p. 1130-1145.
 * Davis SK. (2005). Nest-site selection patterns and the influence of vegetation on nest survival of mixed-grass prairie passerines. Condor. vol 107, no 3. p. 605-616.
 * Davis SK, Brigham RM, Shaffer TL & James PC. (2006). Mixed-grass prairie passerines exhibit weak and variable responses to patch size. Auk. vol 123, no 3. p. 807-821.
 * Davis SK, Duncan DC & Skeel M. (1999). Distribution and habitat associations of three endemic grassland songbirds in southern Saskatchewan. Wilson Bulletin. vol 111, no 3. p. 389-396.
 * Davis SK, & Fisher RF. (2009). Post-fledging movements of Sprague's Pipit. Wilson Journal of Ornithology. vol 121, no 1. p. 198-202.
 * Dieni JS & Jones SL. (2003). Grassland songbird nest site selection patterns in northcentral Montana. Wilson Bulletin. vol 115, no 4. p. 388-396.
 * Ferguson RS. (1981). Summer Birds of the Northwest Angle Provincial Forest and Adjacent Southeastern Manitoba Canada. Syllogeus. vol 31, p. 1-23.
 * Fink LC. (1971). Sight Record of Spragues Pipit in Atlanta. Oriole. vol 36, no 1.
 * Jones, SL, and JS Dieni. 2007. The relationship between predation and nest concealment in mixedgrass prairie passerines: an analysis using program MARK. Studies in Avian Biology 34:117-123.
 * Jones, SL, JS Dieni, MT Green, & PJ Gouse. (2007) Annual return rates of breeding grassland songbirds. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 119:89-94.
 * Madden EM, Hansen AJ & Murphy RK. (1999). Influence of prescribed fire history on habitat and abundance of passerine birds in northern mixed-grass prairie. Canadian Field-Naturalist. vol 113, no 4. p. 627-640.
 * Madden EM, Murphy RK, Hansen AJ & Murray L. (2000). Models for guiding management of prairie bird habitat in northwestern North Dakota. American Midland Naturalist. vol 144, no 2. p. 377-392.
 * Maher WJ. (1979). Nestling Diets of Prairie Passerine Birds at Matador Saskatchewan Canada. Ibis. vol 121, no 4. p. 437-452.
 * McConnell SD, Van Den Driessche R, Hooper TD, Roberts GL & Roberts A. (1993). First occurrence and breeding of Sprague's Pipit, Anthus spragueii, for British Columbia. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 107, no 2. p. 222-223.
 * McConnell SD, Vandendriessche R, Hooper TD, Roberts GL & Roberts A. (1993). 1ST OCCURRENCE AND BREEDING OF SPRAGUE PIPIT, ANTHUS-SPRAGUEII, FOR BRITISH-COLUMBIA. Canadian Field-Naturalist. vol 107, no 2. p. 222-223.
 * McNair DB. (1998). Sprague's pipit overwinters at Apalachicola, Franklin County, and an assessment of its winter status in Florida and nearby states. Florida Field Naturalist. vol 26, no 1. p. 21-23.
 * Pylypec B. (1991). IMPACTS OF FIRE ON BIRD POPULATIONS IN A FESCUE PRAIRIE. Canadian Field-Naturalist. vol 105, no 3. p. 346-349.
 * Robbins MB. (1998). Display behavior of male Sprague's Pipits. Wilson Bulletin. vol 110, no 3. p. 435-438.
 * Robbins MB & Dale BC. (1999). Sprague's pipit: Anthus spragueii. Birds of North America. vol 439, p. 1-16.
 * Sutter GC. (1997). Nest-site selection and nest-entrance orientation in Sprague's Pipit. Wilson Bulletin. vol 109, no 3. p. 462-469.
 * Sutter GC & Brigham RM. (1998). Avifaunal and habitat changes resulting from conversion of native prairie to crested wheat grass: patterns at songbird community and species levels. Canadian Journal of Zoology-Revue Canadienne De Zoologie. vol 76, no 5. p. 869-875.
 * Sutter GC, Sawatzky DJ, Cooper DM & Brigham RM. (1996). Renesting intervals in Sprague's Pipit, Anthus spragueii. Canadian Field-Naturalist. vol 110, no 4. p. 694-697.
 * Wilson SD & Belcher JW. (1989). Plant and Bird Communities of Native Prairie and Introduced Eurasian Vegetation in Manitoba Canada. Conservation Biology. vol 3, no 1. p. 39-44.