The Siberian pipit, also known as the Japanese pipit and formerly known as the buff-bellied pipit, is a species of songbird in the family Motacillidae. It was split from the American pipit in 2024 by both the IOC and Clements checklist. It is found in East Asia.
Region
East and Northeast Asia
Typical Environment
Breeds in open tundra, alpine meadows, riverine gravel bars, and coastal moorlands across Siberia, the Russian Far East, and northern Japan. During winter it moves to lowland fields, marsh edges, estuaries, and coastal grasslands in Japan, Korea, eastern China, and Taiwan. Prefers open habitats with short vegetation and scattered wet areas. Often uses agricultural landscapes, including rice paddies and stubble fields, outside the breeding season.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 3000 m
Climate Zone
Continental
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the Japanese pipit, this species was split from the American pipit by major checklists in 2024. It breeds across northeastern Asia and winters farther south in East Asia. Like other pipits, it is highly terrestrial, walking rather than hopping and frequently pumping its tail. Subtle plumage details separate it from related pipits, especially in fresh non-breeding plumage.
Adult seen in Japan
Temperament
wary and terrestrial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with undulating, low-to-ground flights
Social Behavior
Monogamous pairs on breeding grounds, nesting on the ground in a concealed cup lined with fine vegetation. Outside the breeding season it often forms small to medium flocks, sometimes mixing with other pipits and wagtails. Territorial during nesting but tolerant of conspecifics in rich feeding areas.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
The song is a thin, tinkling series delivered from a short song flight or a perch, with a light, ringing quality. Common calls include high, sharp tseep notes given in flight and soft contact chips while foraging.
Plumage
Brown to olive-brown upperparts with darker streaking, buff-toned underparts with fine breast streaks, and clean white outer tail feathers. A distinct pale supercilium and darker ear coverts give a marked facial pattern, especially in non-breeding plumage. Feathers appear sleek and neatly streaked, with more buff suffusion than many American pipits.
Diet
Primarily takes small insects such as beetles, flies, ants, and caterpillars, along with spiders and other arthropods. Will occasionally consume small seeds and other plant material, especially in winter when insects are scarce. Forages by walking and picking prey from the ground or low vegetation, sometimes chasing flushed insects.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in open, short-grass areas, muddy margins, riverbanks, agricultural fields, and coastal flats. Often uses wet edges and shallow puddles where invertebrates are concentrated.
