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Sprague's Pipit Brochure

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Sprague's Pipit Brochure Causes of Decline Thank You to our Supporters! The 37 years from 1968-2005 were witness to a Government of Saskatchewan-Fish and Wildlife steady decline in pipit numbers in Canada, with Development Fund an estimated 3.1% population decline per year. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Neotropical Migratory Sprague’s The main causes of decline include habitat loss Bird Conservation Act and fragmentation, incompatible grazing, invasion The Mosaic Company of exotic species and woody vegetation, haying Vale Pipit during breeding season, pesticide use, and The McLean Foundation climate change. Government of Saskatchewan-Student Summer Works Program Anthus spragueii ELSA Wild Animal Appeal of Canada TD Friends of the Environment Foundation Enbridge SaskTel Nature Saskatchewan member donations Landowners and land managers conserving species at risk habitat To learn more contact: Nature Saskatchewan 206-1860 Lorne Street Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 2L7 Toll Free (in SK & AB Only): 1-800-667-4668 How can you help? Or 306-780-9273 Fax: 306-780-9263 Email: [email protected] Conserve native prairie! Areas 65 hectares (160 Website: www.naturesask.ca acres) or larger are most valuable to pipits. Avoid prolonged overgrazing, instead graze at a stocking rate recommended for your area. Reduce/remove woody and exotic species in native or tame grassland (e.g., by burning). Convert cultivated land to native or perennial Humanity in Harmony with Nature Status: Threatened cover. Nature Saskatchewan gratefully acknowledges funding from: Delay harvesting hay until after the nesting season (July 21). To report a sighting Avoid using pesticides in or adjacent to native call the Hoot Line: prairie. Printing of brochure sponsored by: Avoid constructing built-up roads, and plant 1-800-667-HOOT (4668) roadsides with non-invasive vegetation. Learn about Sprague’s Pipits and share your knowledge with others. Participate in a stewardship program like Nature Photo credits: S. Davis, R. Fisher, A. Kotylak, S. Vinge-Mazer, Nature Saskatchewan Saskatchewan’s Stewards of Saskatchewan! Range map provided by NatureServe Explorer Printed on FSC Certified paper May 2015 just right Identification Flight Display Life Cycle Sprague’s Pipit is a small (15–17 cm, 23–25 g) Pipits are secretive birds rarely seen out in the Nesting: Once a pipit finds a preferred nesting ground-nesting songbird. open and are most often detected by their song. area, it begins It has brown and white streaked plumage. The male pipit performs the longest known flight building the nest. The head is characterized by a thin bill and display of any song bird. The nest is relatively large brown eyes. Pipits deliver a sweet, thin jingling series, weaved into a cup The breast is composed of a necklace of short descending in pitch: “shing-a-ring-a-ring-a-ring-a”. from dry grasses, streaks, while the belly and flanks are Pipits can sing up to 100 meters in the sky for up unmarked. and covers it to 3 hours at a time. The outer white tail feathers contrast partially or markedly with the inner brown feathers and completely in a are most noticeable when the tail is fanned dome of long during flight. grass. Females are slightly smaller than males. Eggs, incubation, and chicks: Females lay 3-6 eggs between mid May and mid July. Females incubate the eggs for 10-12 days, and the young leave the Distribution nest 10-14 days after they hatch. Pipits breed from the foothills of the Rocky Less than one in Mountains in southern and central Alberta, to three nesting attempts is successful. west-central and southern Manitoba, Predation is the and south to leading factor southern Montana, reducing nest northern South Habitat success. Drought and Dakota and Native mixed-grass prairie is important habitat cold, wet weather northwestern for Sprague’s Pipits. can also reduce Minnesota. reproductive success Pipits are rarely found in cultivated lands, or in During this century, (e.g., due to nest areas where native grasses have been replaced it appears the flooding). with planted forage species. breeding range has Pipits are most likely to be found on blocks of contracted, prairie larger than 65 hectares (160 acres). particularly in the Wintering: By late September, few pipits remain Pipits require vegetation that is not too tall and northwestern on their breeding grounds and by mid October, all dense, or short and sparse, with some litter; (Alberta), pipits have left for their wintering grounds in e.g., areas that are lightly to moderately grazed, northeastern (Manitoba), and southeastern Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona or periodically burned. (Minnesota) parts of the range. and northern Mexico. .
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