Mystery Bird: American Pipit, Anthus rubescens

Hey John et al, can't wait 8 hours, need a verbal cue!

The problem is that in order to provide a clue, I'd have to have one to give. And at the moment, on this bird, I'm pretty thoroughly clueless. This one may win some prize in terms of being a clear shot showing the whole bird (or at least, all that you can see of it from this angle) that nevertheless is extremely stingy in terms of the features I normally use to narrow things down. In particular, we've got no head (except for the nape and the rear of the cap), no face, and no beak.

We're seeing the bird from behind. It is walking (hm. or maybe just standing, with one leg drawn up) on what looks like pavement. It's a medium-sized or smallish bird (hard to tell, actually) which appears to have perching-bird feet. The color is an overall grayish, light gray on the nape and back, darker gray with pale edges on the primaries and secondaries. I think, but am not sure (because we're viewing this area nearly edge-on), that there is a pair of pale wingbars on each wing.

The tail is dark gray, like the darkest parts of the wings. Tail and wings both give me the impression of being quite short. I believe I'm seeing some white undertail coverts peering out from either side of the tail, but I'm not sure about that.

The overall impression I get, and the first thing I was going to guess, was that this might be a female Brown-headed Cowbird. As I look more closely, though, especially in the larger view, I'm seeing a faint yellowish wash on the back, and an even more prominent yellowish cast on the lower belly and flanks, that makes me question that. I tried to make that be an effect of the low sun, but especially when looking at the larger image, I think it's real. I really wanted this to be an icterid, because of the apparent walking gait, but looking at it again, I can imagine the bird is standing with one foot drawn up, which would open up some possibilities that might work better in terms of that yellow plumage.

With all that said, the fact is that I really don't know, and am really curious.

Oh, waitwaitwait. I don't think it's standing on pavement. I think it's standing on sand. Which opens up a whole new section of the book I need to pore over.

I think that there is a white tip to the dark grey tail, a hint of a white wing-bar, a plain olive rump, white undertail coverts, lighty marked olive-grey mantle neck and crown with no stripes. The tail seems unforked so a finch is ruled out. The tertials and secondaries are dark brown edged buff as are the greater coverts. Although it is on sand it is a passerine and not a wader. The legs look to be dark brown, not pink or flesh coloured. The sides appear to be buffish with some streaking. I am leaning towards an American Bunting of some sort but my record with these is not good so I'll have to look further.

David, add faint streaks on the back, stronger dark streaks just visible on the rear flanks, what appears to be a fairly long claw on the back toe of the raised foot, and the clincher: long, broad tertials that just about cover the primaries. (Actually, it looks like they're long enough to do so, but sitting slightly askew.)

And if you need a verbal clue -- think of a rose garden.

Sounds to me like it might be a member of the Longclaws, genus Calcarius, possibly a Smith's: streaked back, whitish wingbars, whitish underatil coverts, dark tail with white outer retrices... depending upon how much white is in the tail, perhaps even a Chestnut-collared if there is a hint of brown in the nape...? But then Paul's clincher, tertials as long as the primaries makes me want to say Lark Bunting, Calamospiza melanocorys...?

I have a couple of hours to ponder this before I check out the photo for myself...

I think my first tentative ID as a bunting might be correct. The nearest I've found is Lark Bunting, an adult female which shows a buff wash on the flanks, "most noticeable on the rear-flanks", Byers et al.

OK, Round 2... I don't think a bunting would look "olive-gray" or have an "olive rump" or a "yellow wash on the back"... certainly a female Lark Bunting would have "tertials and secondaries... dark brown edged buff" and "streaks on the back" and "dark brown" legs and also streaks on the flank but not "stronger dark"...

if the photo is directly from behind, would the Longspur's white wing patches look like wingbars, John suggested "a pair of pale wingbars" so perhaps that one is also ruled out...

"Dark grey tail" with a "white tip" should be a good clue, not many of those around sporting olive, so are we looking at something like a Cassin's Kingbird: gray head, olive-gray above, unforked tail, yellowish undertail coverts... but it has no wingbars unless the white-edging is mistaken for that?

hmmm, olive/rosegarden... olive/rosegarden...

Paul, are you suggesting the thorns ("spur" as in Longspur?), or perhaps colors such as a red rose (as in the Latin root ""rufus" or "ruber", species rufescens or rubescens)?

Or a Water Pipit?!! Wait... this isn't Kent!

With no definitive answers today from the "big guns", I'm going to have to get home soon!

The white tip to the tail appears to be the end of the outermost tail feathers. Longspurs are ruled out by the long tertials -- they should all show fairly long primary extensions.

oh dear, I think I'm way off- this is not what I envisioned and I'm afraid, to me at any rate, this does not look like a bunting shape (which I think would look stockier on top) but more of a thrush shape- Adrian, take a look at the leg color of a female Lark Bunting, they seem to me to be distinctly pinkier than the yellowish-brown we have here, and I think John was right in distinguishing two pale wingbars as opposed to the white patch...

Frankly, I actually think was closer with the Water Pipit, or even a Meadow Pipit, especially since it does look a little bit like a wagtail from behind and that hind claw is a key mark with them... and Paul's "clincher" seems to match really well, but alas, winters along the England coast (yeah, while HM was training me to literally run up the white cliffs, the naturalist in me was ever curious!) are a few thousand miles away now...

I can't play any more, since I gave up and checked the answer shortly after my last comment above. What a great shot!

Well I think I have something a lot closer to what I'm looking for from the family Motacillidae- wagtails, pipits, and longclaws, with the choice between the only two species found in Texas eliminating the Sprague's Pipit because it is too "stripey" and leaving me with the Buff-bellied Pipit, Anthus rubescens (Paul's red rose!) because everything at the back seems to match except for the olive coloring- that, I'm not comfortable with...

The following Buff-bellied Pipit ID article from 10,000 Birds seems to confirm, but their birds are also more brown...

Another shot from behind, but this one is from Korea, but again, much browner...

it's hard to get a fix on subspecies because some texts record Anthus rubescens as conspecific with A. spinoletta (my Water Pipit) and A. petrosus (Rock Pipit), but others that it forms a superspecies with those two as well as A. pratensis, A. roseatus, A. cervinus... wait, Paul, was that your hint, A. roseatus? But that one is found in Afghanistan, China, Nepal, and Thailand, unless you're saying that an ordinary-looking, kinda nondescript bird made it across the ocean?

I can't see any spots but maybe it's the angle so I'm gonna go with a Mistle Thrush!

http://k53.pbase.com/o4/38/635138/1/58191730.thrush_0404a.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_67tw8qE92mA/SV-n4yk-rpI/AAAAAAAAKVs/QNlvSq9Vi…

Sorry, href fail!

Let me try again:

Mistle Thrush, sideview

Mistle Thrush, back view

Maggie, I think the pattern and overall shape of thrushes are kind of a good fit, however the Mistle Thrush is really a European/Asian species!

Of the 18 or so species from the family Turdidae that would be found in Texas, the closest might include the Gray-cheeked Thrush, Swainson's Thrush, or the Wood Thrush (my favorite thrush there would be the beautiful Varied Thrush)

Paul, need some help on this- I can't get past the Pipit but can't find anything close that has that olive coloring!

Paul, my response to Maggie's thrush is stuck with immigration control right now and I had attached a question for you, so please excuse the repeat which will probably shpow up tomorrow morning, Germany time!

"Paul, need some help on this- I can't get past the Pipit but can't find anything close that has that olive coloring, any clues?"

aarrgghh! think I may have to recant... tons of photos of pipits don't show any with olive- Sibley's has two morphs, one light gray and the other dark gray, none olive- Stokes says gray-brown and black legs (but perhaps they lighten in Winter?)- Cornell says brown and striped but all three call theirs the "American Pipit" and not "Buff-bellied" and none mention olive, so I wonder if I really am looking for a non-US species (still Motacillidae?) that is not on any Texas bird list? (I even think the Mexican choices are pretty much the US ones...) I've never seen an American one so perhaps there is a lot of variation within the species here as there is sometimes with the related European pipits, many of which I remember as being olivey?

John/Paul? (intercessory pun intended!)

Hi David, I see what you mean about Lark Bunting and the pics of Pipits do look convincing. The only reason I dismissed them was the lack of olive tones on American Pipits.
edit; I have just found a pic of a Buff-bellied Pipit of the nominate "A. r. rubescens", in fresh winter plumage,( Pipits and Wagtails by Per Alstrom and Krister Mild) which does have the olive colouring, so I think this is as close as I can get.

David, thank you! I went to look at thrushes because of your "this does not look like a bunting shape... but more of a thrush shape" hint at #11 and decided that something like a Hermit Thrush was too reddish-brown and so wanted to go with a Song Thrush which from behind looked really close, but I did notice that it too is Eurasian!

The Buff Bellied Pipit looks alot like a thrush to me and there is no confusion over the spotted markings that all the thrushes showed but I'm not seeing the right colored feet.

This has been a fun one to keep an eye on. I think that this is an American Pipit -- and, ok, David, I'm better with the birds than I am giving hints with the names. I know Anthus doesn't actually refer to anthers, but it was the best I could come up with.

Anyways, the extra long tertials indicate Motacillidae, and as was mentioned, Sprague's should show a different base color and many more streaks. It should also show pink legs, as should the Olive-backed Pipit (A. yunnanensis), which NatGeo lists as accidental to Nevada and California (not Tx, but you never know). I suppose I can't rule out some Eurasian pipit -- but given that the only 'problem' here appears to be the subtle olive tones, I don't see any reason to look outside N. Am. (except for the fun of learning -- but this is one group I don't have the references to work on).
Generally, subtle tones on a photograph are a tricky thing to work with. The lighting at the time, the processing of the film (once upon a time), even the adjustment of the sensor or the program that the photo is run through can all make this much of a difference.

Thank you Adrian and Paul (and this time, absolutely no pun intended!)

Given your findings Paul, I have found records for the Olive-backed Pipit not just in California (as recent as 2009) but now also in Texas (2009).

The description of the first California sighting in 1996 fits almost perefctly with our subject- the only difference being the color of the legs- I do know that leg color does indeed change over winter so could the yellowish coloring we see here account for that, in which case I believe we should indeed take a closer look at the Olive-backed Pipit, Anthus hodgsoni, if only to eliminate it from contention.

Ok, based on what little I have on Olive-backed Pipit (NatGeo -- Sibley's doesn't show it), Olive-backed should show white undersides -- this bird appears to have buff flanks. And yes, I realize we have the same issue with photographs and colors. The pale edgings on the tertials seem more consistent with American. This bird appears to have white outer tail feathers. (Which John referred to as a white tip). This is consistent with American, but I don't know about Olive-backed. Given the dark legs as well, is this analysis sufficient to rule out Olive-backed? (Actually, without additional photos, there is no way that this bird is accepted as an Olive-backed.)

From the first Olive-backed sighting in Mexico:

"adults are typically not as brightly colored in fall; all ages fade to predominantly grayish brown by January"

"The nape was unstreaked olive. The mantle was warm greenish olive with dusky 'hatchmarks' or 'scallops' forming faint streaks. Wurster described 'tiny, faint (diffuse) streaks on lower back', and the rump and uppertail coverts as 'uniform brown-olive to gray-olive.'"

"The flight feathers were dark centered and crisply edged in green to greenish yellow--the brightest color evident on the bird. Only one or two primary tips extended past the tertials which were large and prominenant atop the folded wing, dark gray with "green-olive" or "buff" edges. The three innermost feathers of the greater secondary coverts were dark gray with buff edges. The median and outer greater secondary coverts were tipped in pale buff to form two wingbars, the upper being more pronounced. The centers of the median coverts were blackish, creating a row of dots above the upper wingbar. The weakly notched tail was olive to gray above and white below with a very narrow pale terminal band. White showed in the outer rectrices in flight."

"the sides were washed with less intense buff [and] they were moderately streaked brown, while the flanks were dusky gray and possibly somewhat streaked. The belly and undertail coverts were white. Relatively long undertail coverts contributed to the large-bodied, short-tailed impression."

Hey Paul,

I've gone back and forth over this quite a bit and have come to the conclusion that this must be a Buff-bellied (American) and not an Olive-backed Pipit, but not for plumage coloration reasons, but because of two telling distinguishing marks with the feet and legs- color and hind claw length:

1. the Buff-bellied Pipit is recorded as having "dark", "black", or "blackish-red" legs and feet whereas records for the Olive-backed all say "pink" or "pinkish-yellow" and although the legs above are somewhat yellowish-brown, they are clearly not pink;

2. also, the claw above seems relatively long and records indicate the Buff-bellied hind claw is longer than the toe, whereas the Olive-backed has a short claw.

The following banding report from Bahrain, concerning distinguising an Olive-backed from a Tree Pipit, has some great photos of an Olive-backed as well as a telling leg and claw shot supported by notes.

How sure are we that this is subspecies rubescens and not alticola or pacificus?

All three subspecies ranges overlap, and based upon a little more research to try to ascertain the olive coloration of the one above, I came across material that could support this as being the pacificus subspecies because of it's similarity to an Olive-backed, also noting that while the "traditional" breeding range for pacificus is Alaska south to the mountains of California and east to western Alberta, specimens of pacificus, as preserved in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, have been taken as far east as Coprus Christi.

These are some of the coloration nuances of pacificus from Parkes, K.C. (1982) Further comments on the field identification of North American pipits. American Birds 36:20-22

"the underparts are of a somewhat yellower (less pinkish) buff than those of either alticola or rubescens;

"the color of the underparts and superciliary of a truly 'breeding' pacificus matches [Ben] King's figure of the fresh Olive Tree-Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni)";

"the three subspecies are much less distinctive in the fall. When direct comparison is possible, rubescens can be seen to be of a richer, darker brown color dorsally than either alticola or pacificus, which are much alike in back color; pacificus is slightly grayer";

And a final note on leg color, as I noted above, most guides record the leg color as "dark", "black", or "blackish-red", yet our bird seems to have a more yellowish-brown...

From Cin-Ty Lee's "Siberian (A. r. japonicus) versus American Pipits (A. r. rubescens, pacificus, alticola) in basic plumage continued...":

"Siberian Pipit has pink or pale brown legs, but never black. In general, American Pipits have dark gray to black legs. However, both authors have observed pacificus and rubescens with pale brown legs. In fact, to see several pale-legged pacificusâs in a small flock is not unusual."