Editing Richard's pipit

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2019 |title=''Anthus richardi'' |volume=2019 |page=e.T103821389A155458715 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T103821389A155458715.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| image = Anthus richardi - Laem Pak Bia.jpg
| image_caption = In Thailand
| taxon = Anthus richardi
| authority = [[Louis Pierre Vieillot|Vieillot]], 1818
}}

'''Richard's pipit''' ('''''Anthus richardi''''') is a medium-sized [[passerine]] [[bird]] which breeds in open grasslands in the East [[Palearctic]]. It is a long-distance [[bird migration|migrant]] moving to open lowlands in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is a rare but regular vagrant to western Europe.

The genus name ''Anthus'' is the [[Latin]] name for a small bird of grasslands. The English name and ''richardi'' are for the French naturalist Charles Richard (1745–1835), director of postal services at [[Lunéville]] and friend of [[Francois Levaillant]].<ref name =job>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A. | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher=Christopher Helm | location = London, United Kingdom | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n49 49], 335 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|year=2015|title=The identity of Richard of Richard's pipit (Anthus richardi Vieillot, 1818)|journal=Archives of Natural History|volume=42|issue=1|pages=85–90|doi=10.3366/anh.2015.0281|author1=Mearns, Richard|author2=Gouraud, Christophe|author3=Chevrier, Laurent}}</ref>

It belongs to the [[pipit]] genus ''Anthus'' in the family [[Motacillidae]]. It was formerly lumped together with the [[Australasian pipit|Australasian]], [[African pipit|African]], [[mountain pipit|mountain]] and [[paddyfield pipit]]s in a single species: Richard's pipit, ''Anthus novaeseelandiae''. These pipits are now commonly considered to be separate species although the African and paddyfield pipits are sometimes treated as part of ''A. richardi''.

==Description==
[[Image:Richard's Pipit I -Haryana IMG 9961.jpg|thumb|left| Near [[Hodal]] in [[Haryana]], India]]
This is a large [[pipit]], 17–20&nbsp;cm in length, with a weight of 25–36&nbsp;g and a wingspan of 29 to 33&nbsp;cm. It is a slender bird which often stands very upright. It has long yellow-brown legs, a long tail with white outer-feathers and a long dark bill with a yellowish base to the lower mandible. The hindclaw is long and fairly straight. It is an undistinguished-looking species on the ground, mainly brown above and pale below. There are dark streaks on the upperparts and breast while the belly and flanks are plain. The face is strongly marked with pale lores and [[supercilium]] and dark eyestripe, moustachial stripe and malar stripe. There are two wingbars formed by pale tips to the wing-coverts.

There is some variation between the different [[subspecies]]. ''A. r. sinensis'' is slightly smaller than the nominate race with less streaking above. ''A. r. centralasiae'' is larger with more sand-coloured upperparts. ''A. r. dauricus'' has more streaking above.

Its flight is strong and undulating, and it gives a characteristic explosive "shreep" call, somewhat similar to the chirp of a [[house sparrow]]. The [[bird song|song]] is a repeated series of monotonous buzzy notes given in an undulating song-flight.

Some care must be taken to distinguish this from other large pipits which winter or are resident in the area, such as [[Blyth's pipit]] and paddyfield pipit. Blyth's pipit has a shorter bill, legs and tail, a shorter and more curved hindclaw, less white on the tail and more streaking on the upperparts. In adult birds, the median wing-coverts have blunt-ended dark centres whereas in Richard's pipit the dark centres become pointed towards the tip of the feather. The call of Blyth's pipit call is quieter and less harsh. Paddyfield pipit is smaller than Richard's pipit with a shorter bill and tail, less streaking on the breast and a quieter call.

==Distribution and habitat==
Richard's pipit breeds in southern [[Siberia]], Mongolia, parts of Central Asia and in northern, central and eastern China. It migrates south to winter in the [[Indian subcontinent]] and South-east Asia with records as far south as Sri Lanka, Singapore and northern [[Borneo]]. It is a scarce passage migrant in Korea and Japan. A small part of the population regularly moves west in autumn and birds have been recorded from most countries in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. It is seen annually between September and November at coastal watchpoints in areas such as Britain, the Netherlands and Scandinavia with occasional birds appearing in spring. A few overwinter in countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy and Morocco.

==Behaviour and ecology==
[[File:Richards pipit-Head turn.jpg|thumb|left|Richard's pipit – head turn]]
It is a bird of open country, particularly flat lowland areas. It inhabits [[grassland]], [[steppe]] and cultivated land, preferring more fertile, moist habitats. In Europe it is most often recorded on headlands and islands. It occurs alone or in small groups.

Like other pipits, this species is [[Insectivore|insectivorous]]. It mainly feeds on the ground and will also make short flights to catch flying insects. A few [[Granivory|seed]]s are also eaten.

[[File:Anthus richardi MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.205.22.jpg|thumb|''Anthus richardi'' - [[MHNT]]]]
The [[Bird nest|nest]] is made of grass or [[moss]] and is built on the ground under a grass tussock.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons-inline|Anthus richardi|''Anthus richardi''}}
*{{Wikispecies-inline|Anthus richardi|''Anthus richardi''}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q904790}}

[[Category:Anthus|Richard's pipit]]
[[Category:Birds of Asia]]
[[Category:Wintering birds of Indomalaya]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1818|Richard's pipit]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Louis Pierre Vieillot|Richard's pipit]]