Anthus correndera
The Correndera Pipit (Anthus correndera) is a fascinating, medium-sized passerine bird belonging to the wagtail and pipit family, Motacillidae. Averaging 15-18 cm (5.9-7.1 in) in length and weighing 18-31 g (0.63-1.09 oz), it sports a cryptically streaked plumage of brownish-olive upperparts and buffish underparts, heavily marked with blackish-brown. Distinctive field marks include a pale supercilium, a dark eye-line, and noticeably pinkish-flesh legs, often with a strikingly long hind claw. ...
Found primarily in open grasslands, savannas, pastures, and agricultural fields, often favoring areas with short to medium-height vegetation. Occupies a wide elevational range from sea level up to 4000 meters in the Andes.
Feeds predominantly on small invertebrates, including insects and spiders, gleaned from the ground, supplemented by seeds, especially during leaner periods.
The Correndera Pipit is a diurnal, largely ground-dwelling species, typically observed alone or in pairs outside of the breeding season when small, loose flocks may form. Foraging involves a distinctive walk-and-glean strategy, where it meticulously picks insects and seeds from the ground, occasi...
The Correndera Pipit boasts an expansive distribution across much of temperate South America, extending from southern Peru and Bolivia, south through Chile and Argentina to Tierra del Fuego, and eastward across Uruguay and southern Brazil. Its range is complex, with several recognized subspecies ...
Least Concern
- The Correndera Pipit's specific epithet 'correndera' is believed to derive from a local indigenous name for the bird in parts of Argentina. - It possesses an unusually long hind claw, a characteristic adaptation among many pipits, which helps it gain traction while walking through dense grasses...