pipit

pipit

pipit common name for a group of chiefly Eurasian and African birds that together with the wagtails constitute a subfamily of songbirds related to the Old World warblers and thrushes. Pipits are trim, slender birds with thin, pointed bills. They are chiefly terrestrial and walk or run rapidly, catching insects on or near the ground. The pipit's plumage is streaked and mottled brown; the wagtail's is more boldly patterned. Pipits resemble larks and are sometimes called field larks, or titlarks. The few American species include the water, or rock, pipit, Anthus spinoletta, which breeds in the Arctic and winters in the E United States, and the Sprague's pipit of the Great Plains, noted for the spectacular courtship flight and song of the male. The African longclaw has elongated hind toes suited to running over the veldt. The wagtails, members of the same family, are named for their habit of bobbing their tails, and are usually found near water in temperate Eurasia and Africa; the only New World species is the yellow wagtail of the northern tundra. Pipits and wagtails are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Motacillidae.

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"pipit." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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pipit

pipit (fieldlark, titlark) Any of more than 50 small, brown, inconspicuous birds that resemble larks in habits and appearance. They are found worldwide. The plumage of both sexes is a similar streaked brown or greyish colour, with a long, white-edged ‘wag’ tail. Length: 15cm (6in). Family Motacillidae; genus Anthus.

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"pipit." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"pipit." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-pipit.html

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pipit

pip·it / ˈpipit/ • n. a mainly ground-dwelling songbird (Anthus and other genera, family Motacillidae) of open country, typically having brown streaky plumage.

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"pipit." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"pipit." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-pipit.html

"pipit." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-pipit.html

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pipit

pipit lark-like bird. XVIII. prob. imit. of the bird's short feeble note.

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T. F. HOAD. "pipit." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "pipit." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pipit.html

T. F. HOAD. "pipit." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pipit.html

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pipit

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"pipit." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Pipit Rochijat's subversive mythologies: the Suharto era and beyond.
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Pipits and Wagtails.(Children's Review)(Book Review)
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Polygyny and male parental care by Sprague's Pipit.(SHORT...
Magazine article from: The Wilson Journal of Ornithology; 12/1/2009

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