Richard`s Pipit is an Indian Bird that bears a scientific name "Anthus richardi" and stays in the grass lands and the open shrubs area.
Category of Richard`s Pipit
Richard`s Pipit is a medium-sized passerine bird which breeds in open grasslands in northern Asia. It is a long-distance migrant moving to open lowlands in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is a rare but regular vagrant to Western Europe. This bird was named after the French naturalist Monsieur Richard of Luneville.
Belonging of Richard`s Pipit
Richard`s Pipit belongs to the pipit genus Anthus in the family of Motacillidae. It was formerly lumped together with the Australasian, African, and mountain and paddy field pipits in a single species: Richard`s Pipit, Anthus novaeseelandiae. These Pipits are now commonly considered to be separate species although the African and paddy field pipits are sometimes treated as part of Anthus richardi.
Structure of Richard`s Pipit
Richard`s Pipit is a large Pipit, 17-20 cm in length, with a weight of 25-36 g and a wingspan of 29 to 33 cm. It is a slender bird which often stands very upright. It has long yellow-brown legs, a long tail with white outer-feathers and a long dark bill with a yellowish base to the lower mandible. The hind claw is long and fairly straight. It is an undistinguished-looking species on the ground, mainly brown above and pale below. There are dark streaks on the upperparts and breast while the belly and flanks are plain. The face is strongly marked with pale lores and supercilium and dark eyestripe, moustachial stripe and malar stripe. There are two wingbars formed by pale tips to the wing-coverts.
Flight of Richard`s Pipit
The flight of Richard`s Pipit is strong and undulating, and it gives a characteristic explosive "shreep" call, somewhat similar to the chirp of a house sparrow.
Songs of Richard`s Pipit
The song of Richard`s Pipit is a repeated series of monotonous buzzy notes given in an undulating song-flight.
Breeding of Richard`s Pipit
Richard`s Pipit breeds in southern Siberia, Mongolia, parts of Central Asia and in northern, central and eastern China. It migrates south to winter in the Indian subcontinent and South-east Asia with records as far south as Sri Lanka, Singapore and northern Borneo. It is a scarce passage migrant in Korea and Japan.
Behaviour of Richard`s Pipit
Richard`s Pipit is a bird of open country, particularly flat lowland areas. It inhabits grassland, steppe and cultivated land, preferring more fertile, moist habitats. In Europe it is most often recorded on headlands and islands. It occurs alone or in small groups. Like other pipits, this species is insectivorous. It mainly feeds on the ground and will also make short flights to catch flying insects. A few seeds are also eaten. The nest is made of grass or moss and is built on the ground under a grass tussock.
