American Pipit

A species that local birders look forward to seeing every spring and fall is the American Pipit, a long-distance migrant that passes through Kitsap each year. Here are some fascinating facts about the American Pipit:

• Found in either large or small flocks and calls frequently with a double note call in flight.

• A ground foraging, open country bird that is found in fields, meadows, and along shorelines.

• Has a long hind toe (called a hallux) that is similar to that of a long spur, which provides stability when walking on soft ground, such as mud and snow.

• Known for its distinctive strut, with quick direction changes, and it bobs its head and tail while walking.

• Consumes a variety of flying insects, ants, beetles, aphids, and grasshoppers and their larvae. In marine habitat, also eats small crustaceans and worms. Eats plant seeds in fall and winter.

• One of the few songbirds that nests in the Arctic tundra and in alpine meadows.

• Males are highly territorial and the size of their territory, 1/3 of an acre to 5 acres, is dependent on the amount of food available.

• Breeds in Alaska, British Columbia, and across northern Canada. Winters in the southern U.S., Mexico, and Central America.

• In Washington, some breed in the Olympic and Cascade Mountains above the tree line. Passes through the lowlands during spring and fall migration, with a few nesting along the Pacific Coast.

• Nests on the ground. Clutch size is 3 to 7 eggs, and both parents raise the chicks.

• Considered a common bird in steep decline, it is estimated that the overall population has declined by 30% since 1970. Nesting areas and migration routes are susceptible to alterations due to climate change.

• A close relative of the Siberian Pipit. Both were considered one species before the taxonomic split in 2024.