General

Red-throated Pipit: Medium-sized pipit with brown streaked upperparts and heavily streaked white underparts. Face, throat, and upper breast are orange-brown. Crown is pale brown. Wings are brown with two white bars. Tail is white-edged. Female, winter adult, and juvenile are duller.

Range and Habitat

Red-throated Pipit: Regular migrant on Bering Sea islands; rare migrant along California coast; casual inland. Prefers wet, grassy habitat around lakes, dams, and ponds; often encountered in disturbed areas such as irrigated lands and other wet cultivations.

Breeding and Nesting

Red-throated Pipit: Four to seven blue or olive gray eggs marked with brown and black are laid in a ground scrape lined with fine grass and hair. Nest scrape is made by the male; female builds the rest. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Red-throated Pipit: Eats insects and seeds. Forages in short grass by creeping and walking in a crouched position, frequently darting after insects; wags tail during pauses.

Vocalization

Red-throated Pipit: Call is a high-pitched, drawn out "tseeaz", usually given in flight.

Similar Species

Red-throated Pipit: Sprague’s and Tree pipits have fainter streaks on underparts. American Pipit has dark legs.