Fun Paddyfield Pipit Facts For Kids

A paddyfield pipit (Anthus rufulus) is a medium-sized passerine bird whose breeding distribution range extends in the region from Pakistan and north-western India eastward to Indonesia and is a resident of the Philippines. Paddyfield pipit habitat areas includes open habitats like grasslands and cultivation. It has six subspecies under it. With its length, the pipit otherwise has an undistinguished appearance, mostly streaked grey-brown in color above, pale beneath, and its breast is heavily streaked. The underparts of young birds are more intensely colored and more visible spotting is present on the breast, and their upper parts have lighter feather edges. Besides its long legs a long dark bill. Females and males look alike, but juveniles have darker brown upperparts. The identification is mostly confused with Blyth's pipit. This species has a relatively compact body, a yellow loreal stripe, and a long tail, in addition to having less streaking on its mantle and color variations than others. During the breeding season, it builds its nest on the ground. Paddyfield pipit eggs range from three to seven eggs. The species is an insectivorous pipit. Unlike other similar species, this one has a long tail and less streaking on the mantle and are easy to identify from other. They are also known as Oriental pipit. They are listed in the Least Concern under the IUCN Red List of endangered species. It repeat its note during flight or in danger.

If you enjoy reading about the paddyfield pipit, do check out interesting facts about the common blackbird and the Rufous Hummingbird.

What type of animal is a paddyfield pipit?

Paddyfield pipit (Anthus rufulus) is a small passerine bird from Motacillidae family.

What class of animal does a paddyfield pipit belong to?

Paddyfield pipit (Anthus rufulus) is a bird of genus Anthus.

How many paddyfield pipits are there in the world?

The exact estimate of number of birds is not available but the population trend appears to be stable.

Where does a paddyfield pipit live?

Anthus rufulus) is resident of southern Asia east to the Philippines. Its distribution is wide in the region of north-western India and Pakistan. The paddyfield pipit in India are even resident of Western Ghats region.

What is a paddyfield pipit's habitat?

They are found in open habitats like scrubland, grassland, and cultivation land. It occurs mostly at montane and submontane altitudes and in more forested habitats; and Pechora has a predominantly coastal distribution in northern Borneo, preferring coastal scrub.

Who do paddyfield pipits live with?

The species inhabits pairs or flocks scattered around in the habitat.

How long does a paddyfield pipit live?

This species has not been studied in captivity so no information is currently available about its lifespan.  Although the average wild lifespan of their close relatives is unknown, we know it is between 2-5 years.

How do they reproduce?

Both males and female individuals of the species appear to be monogamous, maintaining a significant bond throughout their lives. Paddyfield pipits breed throughout the year, but primarily in the dry season. An individual bird may have more than one brood in a calendar year. A few feet above the ground, it repeats a note while descending from a short fluttery flight, which occurs during the breeding season. Nests are built in patches of grass or under slight prominences on the ground. Grass and leaves are used to weave the nests, which are shaped like cups. Nests exposed to the weather may have a dome-shaped shape, with long grass extending over the top at the back and sides. The base of the nest is lined with finer grasses or roots, as well as dry moss, bracken, or some other material near their habitat. There is usually no more than one clutch per year, with greenish eggs and numerous small brown spots on the larger end. Incubation lasts about 15 days on average. Whenever the nest is disturbed, the birds call tsip-tsip-tsip short, weakly note. Occasionally, parent birds pretend to be injured so that predators will be distracted. The young leave the nest after 15 nestling days. Birds migrate away from breeding grounds as soon as the young are independent.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the paddyfield pipit is in the Least Concern according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. There is no exact estimate of their population range. It is a species with an extremely wide range cannot be considered Vulnerable under the range size criterion.

What do paddyfield pipits look like?

Paddyfield pipit birds are usually quite large at 5.9-6.3 in (15-16 cm), but this birds are not particularly attractive. Its description is mainly streaked grey-brown upper and pale below, with a heavily streaked breast. Despite its long legs and long tail, it has a dark bill and a long tail structure. Paddyfield pipit female and paddyfield pipit male birds are similar in many ways. Winter plumage is similar to summer plumage. Compared to adults, young birds have more intensely colored underparts and more prominent spotting on the breast, and the feather edges of their upperparts have a pale color. The bird must be distinguished from other types of pipits that winter in the area like Richard's pipit, Anthus richardi, and Blyth's pipit, Anthus godlewskii, during the winter. Unlike other pipits, the paddyfield pipit has a smaller, more dumpy head, a shorter tail, and a less strong fluttering flight. This species has relatively compact and a more distinct eyebrow, a loreal stripe and a long tail structure, as well as less streaking on the mantle and has color variation from others. The calls of Richard's pipit bird is a loud shriek sounds and Blyth's Pipit bird is a short, nasal whistle sounds. There are also a lot of similarities between Western Ghats populations and Nilgiri pipit birds.

How cute are they?

This species is not exactly cute because of its dull color.

How do they communicate?

In addition to sound and sight, water pipit birds also communicate with each other. In order to detect prey and avoid predators, senses are developed and used. Communication between potential mates is facilitated by calls, which is essential for reproduction.

How big is a paddyfield pipit?

This bird is 5.9-6.3 in (15-16 cm) in length. It is smaller than Water pipit.

How fast can a paddyfield pipit fly?

Pipit birds are able to fly great distance, but they prefer to walk or run on the ground.

How much does a paddyfield pipit weigh?

This bird species weighs around the range of 0.03-0.05 lb (17.4-22.7 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no separate names for the two sexes of this species. They are generally known as female paddyfield pipit and male paddyfield pipit. They are also known as an Oriental pipit bird.

What would you call a baby paddyfield pipit?

The baby paddyfield pipit is known as a chick.

What do they eat?

The paddyfield pipit diet of water pipit species consists of insects like flies, snails, larvae of butterflies, mantids, worms, beetles, grasshoppers.

Are they dangerous?

No, this species is not dangerous at all. But they are quite beneficial for humans. If they consume insects, pest population could possibly decrease, which would be beneficial for reducing the amount of pests that destroy crops or transmit diseases.

Would they make a good pet?

This species is not usually kept as a pet.

Did you know...

A pipit is usually found on the ground, as they are active terrestrial birds. Flying occurs during breeding, migration, and dispersal, as well as when they are threatened. Many species use trees for nesting and for flight when disturbed. A low shrub, rock or termite nest can also provide vantage points. Like their relatives, wagtails, pipits also wag their tails. Pipits can be identified by their way of doing this, despite appearing similar to other birds. A pipit's tail moves quite slowly in general. It is unclear exactly what tail-wagging does in the related wagtails, but it may serve to warn predators of vigilance.

This bird species has a record of six subspecies under it added in systematics. Rufulus vieillot from Indian subcontinent, waitei from India subcontinent, malayensis from Sri Lanka, lugubris from Philippines, albidus from Bali, and medius from eastern Lesser Sundas. According to some authorities, paddyfield pipits are considered to be a subspecies of Richard's pipits. Pipit generally means a songbird.

Are paddyfield pipits endangered?

No they are not endangered. But their population has been affected since last few years. Much of their breeding and winter range has been converted to agriculture as a result of extensive conversion of native grasslands. Additional factors that negatively affect grasslands include increasing cattle grazing patterns, decreasing fire frequency, developing energy, and spreading invasive grasses. This leads to decline in the population trend.

What is the difference between Richard's pipits and paddyfield pipits?

Rufulus vieillot prefer to feed on open grass fields, roadside verges, and sandy tracks, as well as cleared ground with little or no vegetation. Richard's pipits tend to prefer shorter grass and a lot more overgrown fallow areas than paddyfield pipits. Due to the thicker ground cover they frequent, they are rarely flushed from the roadsides there.

 The characteristic between Richard's pipit vs paddyfield pipit is chip-chip-chip calls. Several of paddyfield pipit's calls are short, sharp, and to my ears sound like chup or chip. There are explosive calls by Richard's pipits, which is very different from any paddyfield pipit calls.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these American pipit facts and Ani bird facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable paddyfield pippit coloring pages.