Correndera Pipit

Overview

The correndera pipit (Anthus correndera) is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae found across South America. It is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its very large range and stable population, though its exact population size remains unknown.

Identification

• Measures 14 to 16 cm in length and weighs between 15 and 26 g, with similar plumage across sexes.
• The nominate subspecies features a dusky head with a whitish supercilium and a thin blackish 'moustache', along with dusky upperparts heavily streaked with cinnamon-buff and white shoulder streaks.
• Underparts are buffy white with large dark spots on the breast and black streaks on the flanks, while the tail is mostly dusky with significant white on the outer feathers.
• Vocalisations include a cheerful, unstructured song of twittering described as 'fitfit-wrrrruh' or gurgling and trilling phrases, plus a rising, buzzy 'tjzee?' call.

Habitat

Found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Peru, and Uruguay, with vagrants recorded in Paraguay. Subspecies occupy diverse landscapes including arid puna grassland, pastures, agricultural lands, and wet lakeshores at elevations up to 4,600 m, while others inhabit Patagonian steppe, grasslands, and wetland edges near sea level. The Falklands subspecies favours large tracts of coarse white grass in wet areas.

Diet

The diet includes larval and adult insects and other invertebrates, and probably contains seeds. Foraging behaviour consists of walking and running on the ground.

Did you know?

During the breeding season, males perform a flight display that rises as high as 40 m, where they hover before gliding down and often reascending several times.