Long-billed Pipit ( Anthus similis, family: Motacillidae)

long billed pipit Kruger National Park birds The Long-billed Pipit (Latin name Anthus similis) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 717 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 1108 also a picture of the Long-billed Pipit on page 1120. The Long-billed Pipit belongs to the family of birds classified as Motacillidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Long-billed Pipit is also known by these other names: Nicholson's Pipit, Brown Rock Pipit.

In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Long-billed Pipit was called the

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

The Long-billed Pipit is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.

In terms of distribution of the Long-billed Pipit in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Long-billed Pipit : see above distribution map.

Identification assistance for this avian species ...

One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Long-billed Pipit is a small bird about the size of a house sparrow. Do not take this relative indicator as anything other than a rough easy to remember indicator. It is not a accurate visualization. The height of the Long-billed Pipit is about 18 cms and its weight is about 31 gms

The male and female Long-billed Pipit have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is brown.
  • Eye is brown.
  • Bill is black.
  • Throat is grey.
  • Back is brown.
  • Legs are brown.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Long-billed Pipit feeds on the ground, and on the wing mainly

Invertebrates

Seeds

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Long-billed Pipit is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Anthus similis will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Long-billed Pipit is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 1 to 4

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Long-billed Pipit are: woodlands . The Long-billed Pipit is also at home in wetland and bushveld areas.

You will not see Long-billed Pipit in flocks. The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Icelu/Icetshu

Zulu ... umNgcelekeshu/umNgcelu

Afrikaans ...Nicholsonse Koester

German ... Langschnabelpieper

Portuguese ... Petinha-de-bico-comprido

French ... Pipit long bec

Dutch ... Langsnavelpieper

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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 717

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za