![\"American](\"http:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/files\/2014\/01\/amer-pipit.jpg\")
<\/a>However, American Pipits do have a broad breeding distribution across North America, mostly in areas that are inhospitable for these insect-feeders in the winter.\u00a0 They nest across the North American tundra, in most parts of Alaska and along the crests of the Rocky Mountains and Cascade Mountains, nesting as far south as Arizona. They nest broadly in Newfoundland as well. Migrating American Pipits pass through Maine in significant numbers.<\/p>\nAmerican Pipits belong to the bird family called the Motacillidae, a family that also includes the wagtails (much more common in the Eastern Hemisphere).\u00a0 All motacillids spend most of their time on the ground, foraging for insects, spiders and even freshwater snails and crustaceans.<\/p>\n
The Motacillidae includes about 65 species of birds.\u00a0 Forty of these species are classified as pipits.\u00a0 Pipits are more cosmopolitan than their wagtail relatives.\u00a0 Most pipits are found in the Old World but also occur in North America, New Zealand and other oceanic islands.<\/p>\n
Pipits are generally inconspicuous birds whose brown, buff and gray plumage provides great camouflage against stony ground.\u00a0 The bill is pointed as one expects for an insect-eater but not as fine as the bill of a New World warbler.\u00a0 The breast of of most species is streaked, affording yet more camouflage.<\/p>\n
The American Pipit can be distinguished from other ground-dwelling songbirds by its habit of bobbing its tail as it walks.\u00a0 The outer tail feathers are white and are conspicuous in flight.\u00a0 The call of a\u00a0 pipit, often given in flight, is (you guessed it) a two-noted sound described as \u201cpip-it\u201d.\u00a0 Here is a link with sound files: http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/m4ssm6a<\/p>\n
Prior to 1989, North American field guides gave the name of our pipit as Water Pipit.\u00a0 Water Pipits showed a broad distribution throughout North America and Eurasia.\u00a0 However, the American Ornithologists Union Check-list Committee split the North American forms from the Eurasian forms, elevating our birds to a separate species, the American Pipit, restricted to the New World.<\/p>\n
So how do you see an American Pipit short of hiking Katahdin or visiting the Arctic tundra in the summer?\u00a0 Migrating American Pipits often occur along beaches so areas like Reid State Park can be productive.\u00a0 They also occur in agricultural fields, particularly in those where farmers spread manure.\u00a0 As their former name suggests, American Pipits often forage in wet fields and near freshwater water bodies.\u00a0 American Pipits will wade into shallow water after aquatic invertebrates.<\/p>\n
American Pipits are social creatures during migration so seeing a solitary individual is unusual.\u00a0 Scanning fields for pipits will often yield Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs, two other passage migrants that are mainly ground-dwelling birds.<\/p>\n
If you get a close look at an American Pipit, take a look at the claws on its toes.\u00a0 Those claws are exceptionally long, particularly the one on the hind toe.\u00a0 This characteristic of long toenails occurs convergently in other groups of birds that spend a lot of time walking on the ground.\u00a0 Horned Larks show similar long toenails.<\/p>\n
The long claws may aid American Pipits in walking on snow.\u00a0 However, deep snow cover will usually push these birds south as the weather in northern areas deteriorates.\u00a0 American Pipits winter along the southern tier of states from California to Florida.\u00a0 Along the east coast, some pipits will winter as far north as coastal Virginia.\u00a0 The Mediterranean climate of the west coast of North America permits American Pipits to overwinter as far north as western Washington and even southwestern British Columbia.<\/p>\n
[First published on September 29, 2013]<\/p>\n\n
The fall is the best time to see one of Maine\u2019s rarest breeding birds, the American Pipit.\u00a0 The only place in Maine where these ground-dwelling birds nest is on the Tablelands leading up to Baxter Peak on Mt. Katahdin.\u00a0 Seeing these unusual breeders on a hike up Mt. Katahdin is a welcome bonus to a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[420],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":622,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620\/revisions\/622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/mainebirds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}