Correndera Pipit

Cachirla Común

Anthus correndera

Length: 160mm. Sexes alike. Bill blackish brown with base of mandible pearl; iris dark brown; upper parts of head and hind neck ochraceous with blackish streaks; back ochraceous with two white bands in the centre and broad blackish stripes; on either side of back feathers are ochraceous brown with broad blackish streaks and some feathers are margined whitish; lower back, rump and uppertail coverts ochraceous brown with blackish streaking; rectrices blackish brown margined whitish, the two outermost feathers on either side are almost entirely white; eyebrow and orbital region ochraceous; throat whitish; foreneck, breast and flanks ochraceous with ample and abundant blackish stripes; belly and undertail coverts cream. Lesser wing coverts brownish ochraceous; median and greater coverts blackish with wide whitish cream margins; secondaries and primaries ochraceous brown. Legs pearl. Average weight: 26g.

Difficult to distinguish in the field from the rest of the pipits, the white and black barring on back, the very long hind claws and the ochraceous in breast help to identify it. Juveniles resemble adults with worn plumage, showing more whitish in those areas where adults are ochraceous and a more uniformly coloured back.

Habitat and behaviour: found in dry and humid grasslands, preferably in grassy marshes and places close to the water. It perches frequently in shrubs and on fence posts; in pairs or groups split into scattered pairs; markedly terrestrial, owing to its cryptic coloration it is very difficult to spot when hidden in the grassy vegetation.

During the breeding season, it flies very high to later glide down, with a trill both on the way up and down; sometimes it sings from a perch. The Correndera Pipit nests among the tussocks, in a hollow on the ground; the nests has the shape of a cup and is made of straw and horse hair; clutch size ranges up to four greyish cream eggs speckled dark brown and grey. Range: distributed throughout Patagonia and Islas Malvinas. Of the five known subspecies, three are recorded for this region: Anthus correndera correndera, from the north to Chubut; Anthus correndera chilensis, from Chubut to Tierra del Fuego, and Anthus correndera grayi occurring on the Islas Malvinas.

Illustrated Handbook of the Birds of Patagonia

Kindness: Kovacs Family