Sprague's Pipit

Overview

Sprague's Pipit: Medium pipit with streaked, brown upperparts, buff breast with dark streaks, and white throat and belly. Tail is brown with white edges. Thin, pale bill. Legs are yellow to pale brown. Its plumage blends well among prairie grasses, making it difficult to spot.

Range and Habitat

Sprague's Pipit: Breeds from Alberta and Manitoba south to Minnesota and Montana. Spends winters from southern Great Plains east to Mississippi, and in the southwest. Preferred habitats include short-grass fields.

INTERESTING FACTS

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

The Sprague’s Pipit is a small bird which breeds in the Great Plains of North America. Nesting grounds are found in the Peace River District of Alberta, Turtleford, Prince Albert and Shoal Lake, Saskatchewan, central Manitoba, North Dakota, Montana, South Dakota and Minnesota. They may also be found in British Columbia occasionally. This species winters in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, including California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. Typical diets consist of insects, spiders and seeds. The conservation status of the Sprague’s Pipit is Least Concern.