Sprague’s Pipit (SPPI)

Anthus spragueii

Adult Sprague’s Pipit  © Joachim Betrands / Macaulay Library
Juvenile Sprague’s Pipit  © Rick Courtney / Macaulay Library

Range

The Sprague’s Pipit breeds in the northern midwest of the U.S. and southern Canada. Their wintering grounds take up most of Texas and the southern tips of neighboring states, and spread down throughout most of Mexico. While migrating, Sprague’s Pipits can be found in all of the midwest states.

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Identification

The Sprague’s Pipit is a slim, ground-dwelling songbird with pale pink or orange legs and bill. Males and females appear visually identical, with a bright white belly and rump, a tan throat, and a speckled back with shades of sandy brown and dark brown. There is faint striping on the bird’s head. Juveniles look similar to adults, but have a more scraggly appearance and their dark brown shades might be a few shades darker. Adults and juveniles both have slight streaking on the chest and neck.

When in flight, the Sprague’s Pipit is identifiable by bright white outer tail feathers that contrast against central dark brown feathers. Since this species prefers hopping and foraging on the ground, this tail feature is usually only spotted during breeding season, in the aerial displays of males. During a display, males will glide and hover high above the ground, sometimes for over an hour at a time. One particular male was observed hovering for three hours straight during a courting display, which is the most prolonged display of any bird ever recorded.

During displays, males will sing a series of thin, high-pitched notes, the notes descending as the bird does the same. The song lasts about 3 seconds long and is repeated over and over again while gliding in the air. This song is almost never performed on the ground. The Sprague’s Pipit common call is a short, high-pitched squeak.

Listen to its songs and calls here.

Habitat

The Sprague’s Pipit lives in a variety of grasslands and native prairie regions across North America. They prefer native mixed-grass prairies, where plants are between 6-12 inches tall, but are known to occasionally nest in agricultural fields.

Unlike other grassland birds, the Sprauge’s Pipit does not like any bare ground or shrubbery where they breed, but will refuse to nest in any overgrazed habitat. When wintering, the Sprague’s Pipit lives in similar grasslands, but could settle for croplands or fields. Since this bird is rarely seen in the air, they value being able to camouflage themselves among native grasses, and will not settle down in an area where they are easily spotted by predators or other animals.

Conservation Status 

  • Listed as Decreasing by American Bird Conservancy
  • Listed as Vulnerable by BirdLife International
  • Listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
  • Listed as Vulnerable by Nature Serve Explorer 

Threats to Conservation

Not unexpectedly, the Sprague’s Pipit is threatened by the loss of habitat, especially where their native grasslands are being turned into farmland and agricultural plots. In the existing habitats, invasive plants threaten to destroy the quality and diversity of the habitat, which the Sprague’s Pipit is very sensitive to. Sprague’s Pipits are very vulnerable birds, so they are often used as indicators to monitor the health of grasslands, as their declining population is becoming more and more prominent.

Another key threat to the Sprauge’s Pipit is fragmentation. As native habitats and prairies begin to be converted into other land for human use, the remaining sectors are divided, and their borders with surrounding areas like forests and wetlands increase. While some species thrive on these mixed-habitat ranges, grassland birds do not. In the case of the Sprague’s Pipit, as the proportion of ‘edges’ in their habitat increases, their perception of their home proportionally declines, and when this happens to their breeding grounds, the population suffers a heavy blow.

The best way to prevent fragmentations is attempting to connect as many parcels as possible with a similar habitat. While some might recommend planting trees and bushes, with fragmented grasslands the exact opposite must happen. Just native shrubs and grasses must be planted, and only when the fragments are as interconnected as possible will birds like the Sprauge’s Pipit consider nesting and breeding there again.

Funding Opportunities
General Management Guides
Regional Management Guides
Midwest & Central
Resources
Works Cited