South Georgia Pipit

South Georgia pipit
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Superorder	Passerimorphae
Order	Passeriformes
Sub-order	Passeri
Family Information
Superfamily	Passeroidea
Family	Motacillidae
Genus Information
Genus	Anthus
Species Information
Species	A. antarcticus
Population statistics
Population	6,000-8,000 (2016 est.)[1]
Conservation status	Near threatened[2]

The South Georgia pipit (Anthus antarcticus) is a species of passerine bird of the family Motacillidae, and found on several islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Description[edit]

The South Georgia pipit is small, about 6.7 inches long, with a wingspan of 9.2 inches, and weighs 1.3 ounces. It is medium-brown in color above and marked with tan to red-brown stripes that will appear to have a slight wash of gold. Below it is lighter in color with fewer stripes. Primary and secondary flight feathers are edged with light tan or cream; the tail is blackish-brown with grayish margins. The beak is black and slender, the legs and feet pink, and bear long claws. Juveniles are darker, especially from below.

Range and habitat[edit]

The bird is found on the island of South Georgia and 20 small coastal islets in the immediate vicinity; as these islands are considered part of the Antarctic peninsula, the South Georgia pipit is the only passerine bird native to Antarctica. It is found within tussac grassland (Poa flabellata), near streams, ponds, inland pools, and rocky outcrops.

References[edit]