The Nilgiri pipit (''Anthus nilghiriensis'') is a distinctive species of

pipit The pipits are a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan genus, ''Anthus'', of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. Along with the wagtails and longclaws, the pipits make up the family (biology), family Motacillidae. The genus is wide ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the high altitude hills of southern India. Richer brown in colour than other pipits in the region, it is distinctive in having the streaking on the breast continuing along the flanks. It is non-migratory and has a tendency to fly into low trees when disturbed and is closely related to the tree pipits '' Anthus hodgsoni'' and ''

Anthus trivialis The tree pipit (''Anthus trivialis'') is a small passerine bird which breeds across most of Europe and the Palearctic as far East as the East Siberian Mountains. It is a long-distance migrant moving in winter to Africa and southern Asia. The sc ...

''.

Description

The Nilgiri pipit is about long and is richly coloured, has dark lores, a buff supercilium and throat. It lacks any malar stripes. The flanks, breast and sides of neck are brighter buff and that bill is completely dark. The crown is heavily streaked in black as are the upperparts. The outer tail feathers are also buff coloured and there is no white in the plumage. The streaking on the breast is fine and it extends along the flanks. The first four primaries of the wing are almost equal and the fifth is about 1–2 mm shorter. The primaries from the second to the fifth are emarginate. The tail feathers are pointed and the second outer feather has a tapering triangle along the shaft and the third with a small triangle at the tip. Abnormal

albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

individuals have been reported.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Jerdon in 1840 under the name of ''Anthus rufescens'', a name already used by Temminck for a different species. Blyth referred to it under the name of ''Anthus montanus''. These are however invalid names and it was redescribed under replacement name of ''A. nilghiriensis'' by

Richard Bowdler Sharpe Richard Bowdler Sharpe (22 November 1847 – 25 December 1909) was an English zoologist and ornithologist who worked as curator of the bird collection at the British Museum of natural history. In the course of his career he published several mono ...

in 1885. The Nilgiri pipit is closely related to the tree pipits and is a sister to the clade containing ''

'' and '' Anthus hodgsoni'' from which it diverged in the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58

Distribution and habitat

The Nilgiri pipit is closely associated with short

montane grassland Montane grasslands and shrublands is a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than th ...

s interspersed with

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

y grounds and small streams mostly in hill slopes above in the Ponmudi hills and above in the Nilgiris,

Palani Palani ( or ''Palni'' as in British records, is a town and a taluk headquarters in Dindigul district of the western part of Tamil Nadu state in India. It is located about south-east of Coimbatore and north-west of Madurai, from Kodaikanal ...

and High Ranges. They have also been claimed to occur in the

Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) located in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in Tirunelveli district and Kanyakumari district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is the second-largest protected area in Tamil Nadu. I ...

but a 2014 study suggests that the species is restricted to the high altitude grassy peaks of the Nilgiris and the Anamalais. Museum specimens exist from the

ranges but habitat changes may have led to its reduction or extirpation as the species was not found in surveys in the 21st century.

Behaviour

Nilgiri pipits are found singly or in pairs. When disturbed they usually fly into a low bush or tree. They breed in summer from April to July. The nest is a cup of grass in short grass. The clutch consists of two to three grey brown speckled eggs. They feed on grass seeds and insects with invertebrates becoming more important during the breeding season.

Status

The world population is estimated to be about 4000 birds based on a density estimate of about 0.1 birds per hectare in suitable habitat. The grassland habitat is threatened by wattle plantations and the colonization of grasslands by species such as broom (''

Cytisus scoparius ''Cytisus scoparius'' ( syn. ''Sarothamnus scoparius''), the common broom or Scotch broom, is a deciduous leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe. In Britain and Ireland, the standard name is broom; this name is also used for oth ...

'') in the Nilgiris and by fire.

References

External links

Calls

Photographs and videos
{{Taxonbar, from=Q944153

Nilgiri pipit The Nilgiri pipit (''Anthus nilghiriensis'') is a distinctive species of pipit that is endemic to the high altitude hills of southern India. Richer brown in colour than other pipits in the region, it is distinctive in having the streaking on th ...

Birds of South India