Anthus cinnamomeus
The African Pipit, also sometimes called the Grassland Pipit, is a common but fairly inconspicuous bird of open savanna, short grasslands and dry floodplains, though it is also often encountered on sports fields, airfields, agricultural land, roadsides and recently burnt patches. They feed almost exclusively on insects and other small invertebrates.
African Pipits are monogamous, with the male using aerial displays and song to proclaim his breeding territory while the female builds the neat cup-shaped nest on the ground at the base of a bush or tuft of grass (they also sleep on the ground, often in a favourite location). When not breeding they form loose flocks that may number up to a hundred and often associate with birds of other species. African Pipits may breed at any time of the year, though mostly in spring and summer, with clutches of 1-5 eggs being incubated by both parents over a 2 week period. The chicks leave the nest at between 2 and 3 weeks old, but remain near it – and dependent on their parents – for a while longer. Parents will attempt to lure predators away from the chicks by feigning a broken wing. Adults measure around 16cm in length and weigh about 24g.
The IUCN lists the African Pipit as a species of least concern. It is found over much of sub-Saharan Africa as well as in the south-western corner of the Arabian Peninsula. African Pipits occur all over South Africa.
DeWetsWild 
That header image is beautifully crisp. I also particularly like the photo of pipit on the log. I too have a hard time identifying some of these grassland birds. Thanks for the useful checklist!
Thank you very much, Carol! LBJ’s like these trip me up more often than not. Digital photography is especially useful when you can study a photograph – and zoom in – to identify the species later at your own leisure.
Dankie weereens vir ‘n leersame pos, Dries. Koestertjies is fasinerende voëltjies en nogal vir my moeilik om raak te sien, want hulle kamoefleer so goed.
Raak sien is al klaar so moeilik, en dan nog uitken ook!
Ek dink dis hulle wat ek in Eshowe al gesien het!
Tien-teen-een, Aletta. Hierdie koestertjies kan mens regtig byna in elke uithoek van SA verwag.
We have pipits too, here, but most of them are in the Western side of the USA. Thank you, D. 🙂
Most interesting, thanks. H.J. I’ll go check out those North American pipits as soon as I can.
Sustainabilitea is right… cute and fun name!
As attractive as they are, I don’t see them often enough to recognise them outright and so they still flutter about in the LBJ box!
Not to worry, Anne. I also still have to run through the checklist every time before I’m (fairly) confident that it is an African Pipit; 1 = spotted back, 2 = dark chin stripe, 3 = faintly spotted breast, 4 = yellowish (ugh, colourblind!) base to lower mandible.
Cute little bird with a fun name.
“Pipit” sounds like a cheerful little girl with a ribbon in her straw hat.
🙂
Nou wil ek graag weer weet wat sy Afrikaanse naam is asb? Ek dink ons het hom as kinders ‘n graspiepertjie genoem.(sommer ons eie naam)
In Afrikaans is dit die Gewone Koester, Ineke, en “pieper” is die Nederlanders se naam vir die koestertjies.
Aha, snaaks hoe mens sulke woorde aan moeders skoot leer.
En wat n pragtige woord is “Piepertjie” nie!
En die “gras” daarby wys dat hul in gras/veld rond beweeg ook.