The yellowish pipit is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are temperate grassland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and pastureland.
Region
South America
Typical Environment
Occurs widely from Panama south through Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and across much of Amazonia to the Cerrado, Pantanal, Pampas, and Andean foothill grasslands of Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. It favors open habitats with short to medium-height grasses, including natural savannas, temperate grasslands, and grazed pastureland. Seasonally wet or flooded lowland grasslands are particularly important, and it often uses roadside verges and airfields with low swards. It generally avoids dense forest but may occur in grassy clearings and wet meadows nearby.
Altitude Range
0–1800 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The yellowish pipit is a small ground-dwelling songbird that favors open grasslands and seasonally flooded pastures. Males perform a distinctive parachuting display flight while delivering a thin, tinkling song. It often goes unnoticed, keeping low in vegetation and flushing only at close range. Its adaptability to modified pastures helps it persist across much of its range.
Temperament
wary and inconspicuous
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with undulating display flights
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs, loosely associating in open fields. Nests are built on the ground, well concealed at the base of grass tufts. Pairs are monogamous during the breeding season, and males display by rising and parachuting down while singing.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Song is a thin, tinkling series of high-pitched notes, often delivered during a parachuting display flight. Calls include a sharp, high 'tsip' or 'tsee' given in flight or when flushed.
