Anthus cervinus
The Red-throated Pipit (*Anthus cervinus*) is a striking, medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 14-16 cm (5.5-6.3 inches) in length with a wingspan of 25-28 cm (9.8-11 inches) and weighing 18-27 grams. Its most distinctive field mark, particularly in breeding males, is a vibrant brick-red to orange wash across the throat and breast, which can extend onto the supercilium. Beyond this brilliant coloration, both sexes exhibit a heavily streaked back, pale underparts with dark streaking on ...
Breeds primarily in wet arctic and subarctic tundra, often near willow thickets, sedge meadows, and bogs. During migration and winter, it favors open, damp grasslands, cultivated fields, and marshes at low elevations.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide range of invertebrates such as beetles, flies, moths, spiders, and grasshoppers. Small amounts of seeds, particularly from sedges and grasses, are consumed, especially outside the breeding season.
The Red-throated Pipit is a predominantly diurnal species, foraging actively on the ground throughout the day and roosting inconspicuously in ground vegetation or low shrubs at night. It employs a typical pipit foraging strategy, walking purposefully to flush prey, then quickly snatching insects ...
The Red-throated Pipit boasts a vast circumpolar breeding range, spanning the arctic and subarctic tundras of northern Eurasia, from Scandinavia eastward across Siberia, and into Alaska and northwestern Canada. Its migration corridors are equally extensive, with Eurasian breeders wintering primar...
Least Concern
- The Red-throated Pipit's scientific name, *Anthus cervinus*, translates to "pipit" and "stag-colored" or "deer-like," referring to the rufous-red color of the male's throat. - It undertakes one of the longest migrations of any pipit species, traveling from arctic breeding grounds to wintering a...