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Characteristics and Range Breeding to 78°N and to 4,000 m above sea level (Hendricks and Verbeek 2012), this sleek, pinkish-buff insectivore is a remarkable extremist. It breeds from western Greenland across the Arctic and Subarctic of North America to Siberia, where it is known as Buff-bellied Pipit. It also breeds at high elevations in the Rocky Mountains south to Colorado, with isolated montane breeding areas as far south as Baja California (Hendricks and Verbeek 2012). Throughout its breeding range, it occurs predominantly above or beyond the treeline and is mostly terrestrial except for aerial displays and occasional use of elevated perches. North American populations winter from coastal British Columbia south to Baja California and across the southernmost U.S.A. south to El Salvador, wherever open habitats occur, and especially in areas wetter than the arid grasslands used by Sprague's Pipit (Hendricks and Verbeek 2012).

Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat Atlas records show the Manitoba breeding range to extend farther south than depicted in The Birds of Manitoba, reaching the southern boundary of Wapusk National Park, and farther west than described in Hendricks and Verbeek (2012) to Nueltin Lake. It was not found east of the Nelson River but likely breeds in some unsurveyed portions of this coastline, where rocky habitat occurs, as it dœs in neighbouring Ontario (Sutherland 2007). The highest relative abundance was in the northern Arctic Plains & Mountains and west to Courage Lake, and in Wapusk National Park, though abundance was always low (.3 individuals per point count in the Hudson Bay Lowlands). Probability of observation showed a similar pattern, even though frequency of detection was relatively low (detected in 4% of squares with ≥3 hours of effort and only on 2.4% of point counts in the Hudson Bay Lowlands).

In Manitoba, the American Pipit typically breeds in rocky coastal habitat or on the rocky slopes of eskers; however, it was also found on open, hummocky peatlands surrounding tundra lakes with scattered trees. It co-occurred with the Lapland Longspur on 25 of the 63 (40%) point counts where it was detected. It overlapped to a lesser extent with the treeline specialist Smith's Longspur (21% co-occurrence) and was typically found in wetter habitats than used by the Horned Lark (3% co-occurrence).

Trends, Conservation, and Recommendations CBC data from 1962 to 2010 show a significant decrease in western North America but not elsewhere. Detailed information is lacking on winter and migration ecology and associated hazards (Hendricks and Verbeek 2012). It remains unclear therefore if the perceived decline is a product of habitat loss from an increasing urban footprint and water depletion in moist habitats in the species' migratory and winter ranges, or if there is a range shift in response to climate change (Hendricks and Verbeek 2012). The clearing of forests has probably benefited this species to some extent on its migration and wintering grounds; however, this is likely offset in recent decades by wetland drainage and land-use changes post-clearing, including reforestation ( Hendricks and Verbeek 2012). Climate and precipitation changes could have a profound impact on this species throughout its range.

Christian Artuso

Recommended citation: Artuso, C. 2018. American Pipit in Artuso, C., A. R. Couturier, K. D. De Smet, R. F. Koes, D. Lepage, J. McCracken, R. D. Mooi, and P. Taylor (eds.). The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Manitoba, 2010-2014. Bird Studies Canada. Winnipeg, Manitoba http://www.birdatlas.mb.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=AMPI&lang=en [12 Sep 2024]