Sprague's pipit (Anthus spragueii) is a small songbird (passerine) in the family Motacillidae that breeds in the short- and mixed-grass prairies of North America. Migratory, it spends the winters in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Sprague's pipits are unusual among songbirds in that they sing high in the sky, somewhat like a goldfinch or skylark. It is more often identified by its distinctive descending song heard from above than by being seen on the ground. Males and females are cryptically coloured and similar in appearance; they are a buffy brown with darker streaking, slender bills and pinkish to yellow legs. Sprague's pipit summer habitat is primarily native grasslands in the north central prairies of the United States and Canada (distinguishing them from the American subspecies of the buff-bellied pipit, which breed in the northern Rocky Mountains and the Arctic). The species was named after the botanical illustrator Isaac Sprague.
Sprague's pipits are small rare songbirds of North America. They are unusual among songbirds in that they sing high in the sky, somewhat like a goldfinch or skylark. Sprague's pipits are more often identified by their distinctive descending song heard from above than by being seen on the ground. Males and females are cryptically colored and similar in appearance; they are a buffy brown with darker streaking, slender bills, and pinkish to yellow legs.
Sprague's pipits are found throughout the central northern Great Plains of North America. In Canada, they breed in southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and southwest Manitoba. In the United States, they breed in northeastern and central Montana, western and central North Dakota, northwest South Dakota, and in the Red River Valley of Minnesota. Sprague's pipits are migratory and winter in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. These birds inhabit short- and mixed-grass prairies, plains, and open grasslands. During migration, they can occasionally be found in cultivated fields and pastures. They breed in habitat with minimal human disturbance, such as grazing, haying, or other human development.
Sprague's pipits are inconspicuous ground-dwelling birds. They will fly in order to display during breeding, and while migrating or dispersing. These birds feed by day walking or running on the ground in search of seeds or insects. When they sense any danger, they freeze hoping to stay unnoticed as they rely on their cryptic plumage. Sprague's pipits are generally solitary birds but during the mating season and in areas with plentiful food they may gather in small flocks. To communicate with each other they use short 'squicks' or sharp 'pips'; only males sing their beautiful songs usually high in the air during aerial displays.
Sprague's pipits are carnivores (insectivores). They feed on various insects, spiders, and sometimes seeds. During the breeding season, the adults are almost entirely insectivorous and feed the young on insects as well.
Sprague's pipits are monogamous and form pairs. Breeding begins as early as late April and continues until mid to late August. During this time pipits are very territorial and males sometimes chase neighboring males in flight to keep them away from their boundaries. The nests are a small cup of grass found on the ground with standing dead vegetation folded over to create a canopy. There is a single entrance to the nest. The female lays 4 to 6 eggs and incubates them for 13-14 days. The chicks hatch helpless and blind (altricial). They are fed mainly by the female and leave the nest at the age of 10-11 days before they are able to fly well.
The major threat to Sprague's pipits is habitat loss mainly due to expansion of the agriculture. Apart from that, these small birds also suffer from fires, overgrazing by cattle, haying before fledgling of newly hatched chicks, and road construction.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of Sprague's pipits is around 1,200,000 individuals; this is roughly equivalent to 500,000-999,999 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
