Can anyone please tell me if this is a Pippit? Photo taken at the Werribee Treatment Works yesterday.
Des
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Yes, an Australian Pipit, once known as Richard's Pipit. (I wonder who Richard was). Note the broad white eyebrow.
French naturalist Monsieur Richard, it was first thought that the Australian species was the same bird but later discovered to be a seperate species.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Thanks again Woko. I wish I had your knowledge! So, is it oficially known as a Pipit or an Australian Pipit now?
Des
I beleive an Australasian Pipit (must go overseas for his holidays
)
Peter
Or drink lots of beer!
Des
I notice it's called Australian Pipit in Michael Morcombe's Field Guide to Australian Birds but I have heard it referred to as the Australasian Pipit. Perhaps it depends on which official is officially deciding on official names. I think the International Ornithological Committee has a finger in the pie on this.
Looks like a Striated Fieldwren to me!
I agree with Steve, much too heavily streaked for a pipit, and you can just see the rufous frons and ear coverts as described in the guide. :)
Birding Blog: Close Encounters of the Bird Kind
Yes, that's the first thing I though when I saw the pic- Fieldwren. Too streaked for a pipit.
I agree, definately too streaked and too much colour variation for a pipit
Cheers Babybirdwatcher
Hmmmm! I'm warming up my knees so that I can stand corrected. It is very heavily streaked but the eyebrow seems rather broader than that of the field wren. Perhaps there are variations in eyebrow width between individuals!
Having read all the above comments, I have to say that I am confused! I am trying to visualise the size, but I only got a very quick glimpse of it - just enough to get 1 photo. My impression is that it was bigger than a wren, but I can't be certain. I think I will just call it a little brown streaky bird!
Des
Sometimes, Des, we have to tuck our sightings away in our humps for future reference in case we get a better sighting later. It's all part of the wonderful world of watching birds.
Calamanthus, definitely. Lorne, Bundanoon, NSW.
Definitely can't be a pipit as the bird has too much streaking, but also lacks two chin-straps on the troat. In the case of all "heath birds", such as heathwrens/fieldwrens, songlarks, bushlarks and pipits, I wouldn't rely on the eyebrow for identification as they all have white eyebrows... instead I rely on more subtle features. I separate pipits from songlarks and bushlarks by the two chin-straps of the pipit, and separate songlarks and bushlarks from heathwrens and fieldwrens by the difference in shape and size. So, I agree with Steve... Striated Fieldwren
As for the name confusion, Australasian Pipit is the correct name listed on IOC... it's not Australian Pipit as its range extends beyond Australia and not Richard's Pipit as it's a separate species from the true Richard's Pipit.
Brandon (aka ihewman)