South Georgia pipit

Species of bird

South Georgia pipit

On South Georgia, British overseas territory

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Aves
Order:  | Passeriformes
Family:  | Motacillidae
Genus:  | Anthus
Species:  |

A. antarcticus

Binomial name
Anthus antarcticus

Cabanis, 1884

The South Georgia pipit (Anthus antarcticus) is a sparrow-sized bird only found on the South Georgia archipelago off the Antarctic Peninsula. It is the only songbird in Antarctica, South Georgia's only passerine, and one of the few non-seabirds of the region.

It builds nests from dried grass, usually within tussac grass, and lays four eggs a year. It feeds on small insects and spiders, and beach debris.

It has been threatened by the human introduction of rats, and also by environmental damage caused by humans. It has been chosen as the poster bird of the South Georgia Heritage Trust's Habitat Restoration (Rat Eradication) project, which started eradicating rats on South Georgia in 2011. The project's baiting phase ended in early 2015, and success was confirmed in 2018.[2][3]

In 2004 the population was estimated to be 6000 to 8000 mature individuals.[4] Prior to the restoration it was rare to see South Georgia pipits, most often on the rat-free Prion Island. Afterwards their numbers have increased noticeably and are much more often seen by visitors.[5]

## Description

[edit]

The South Georgia pipit is a small and stocky pipit, 17 cm (6.7 in) long and weighing 36 g (1.3 oz). The species has long legs and a long hindclaw and a short tail.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ BirdLife International (2021). "Anthus antarcticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22705324A177963150. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22705324A177963150.en. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
2. ^ "Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels". Archived from the original on 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2019-04-06. "News just in of the discovery of the first South Georgia Pipit [Anthus antarcticus] nest in an area cleared of rodents by the Habitat Restoration Project. The nest was spotted at Schlieper Bay on the South coast of the North-West baiting zone at Weddell Point."
3. ^ Amos, Jonathan (2018-05-09). "Rodents driven from South Georgia". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
4. ^ BirdLife International (2024). "Species factsheet: Anthus antarcticus". Data Zone. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
5. ^ Kenny, Luke (17 February 2021). "A Detailed Guide to Recognizing the South Georgia Pipit". Discover by Silversea. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
6. ^ Higgins, P. J.; Pater, L. M.; Cowling, J. S., eds. (2006). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol. 7: Boatbill to Starlings. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. pp. 1389–1391\. ISBN 0-19-553996-6.

## External links

[edit]

* BirdLife Species Factsheet

Taxon identifiers

Anthus antarcticus|

* Wikidata: Q493653
* Wikispecies: Anthus antarcticus
* ADW: Anthus_antarcticus
* ARKive: anthus-antarcticus
* Avibase: AAA4D21C5E20D407
* BirdLife: 22718588
* BOW: sogpip1
* CoL: 67KDS
* eBird: sogpip1
* EoL: 1051324
* EURING: 27780
* GBIF: 2490247
* iNaturalist: 13740
* IRMNG: 10861050
* ITIS: 558633
* IUCN: 22718588
* NCBI: 2059864
* Observation.org: 77955
* Open Tree of Life: 3597121
* Xeno-canto: Anthus-antarcticus

* v
* t
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South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Capital: King Edward Point

General|

* Coat of arms
* Commissioner
* Flag
* Foreign relations
* History
* Languages
* List of South Georgians
* Operation "Paraquet"
* Public holidays
* Toothfish Day
* South Georgia Museum
* .gs
* Sovereignty
* Invasion of South Georgia

Settlements / Whaling stations|

* Bird Island
* Grytviken
* Godthul
* Husvik
* King Edward Point
* Leith Harbour
* Ocean Harbour
* Prince Olav Harbour
* Stromness
* Corbeta Uruguay base

South Georgia islands|

* Annenkov Island
* Bird Island
* Black Rock
* Black Rocks
* Clerke Rocks
* Cooper Island
* Grass Island
* Grassholm
* Kupriyanov Islands
* Pickersgill Islands
* Prion Island
* Saddle Island
* Shag Rocks
* South Georgia
* Welcome Islands
* Willis Islands

South Sandwich Islands|

* Bristol
* Montagu
* Saunders

| Candlemas Islands|

* Candlemas
* Vindication

|

Traversay Islands|

* Leskov
* Visokoi
* Zavodovski

|

Southern Thule|

* Bellingshausen
* Cook
* Thule

|

Seamounts|

* Protector Shoal
* Kemp Caldera

Landmarks|

* Admiralty Peak
* Allardyce Range
* Barff Peninsula
* Fortuna Glacier
* Gold Harbour
* Larsen Harbour
* Mount Baume
* Mount Belinda
* Mount Cunningham
* Mount Paget
* Mount Roots
* Orca Peak
* Peggotty Bluff
* Salisbury Plain
* Salvesen Range
* Southern Thule
* Thatcher Peninsula
* Bay of Isles
* Stromness Bay
* Cumberland Bay
* Possession Bay
* Busen Point

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