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South Georgia pipit

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South Georgia pipit
On South Georgia, British overseas territory
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Motacillidae
Genus: Anthus
Species:
A. antarcticus
Binomial name
Anthus antarcticus
Cabanis, 1884

The South Georgia pipit (Anthus antarcticus) is a sparrow-sized bird only found on the South Georgia archipelago off the Antarctic Peninsula. It is the only songbird in Antarctica, South Georgia's only passerine, and one of the few non-seabirds of the region.

It builds nests from dried grass, usually within tussac grass, and lays four eggs a year. It feeds on small insects and spiders, and beach debris.

It has been threatened by the human introduction of rats, and also by environmental damage caused by humans. It has been chosen as the poster bird of the South Georgia Heritage Trust's Habitat Restoration (Rat Eradication) project, which started eradicating rats on South Georgia in 2011. The project's baiting phase ended in early 2015, and success was confirmed in 2018.[2][3]

In 2004 the population was estimated to be 6000 to 8000 mature individuals.[4] Prior to the restoration it was rare to see South Georgia pipits, most often on the rat-free Prion Island. Afterwards their numbers have increased noticeably and are much more often seen by visitors.[5]

Description

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The South Georgia pipit is a small and stocky pipit, 17 cm (6.7 in) long and weighing 36 g (1.3 oz). The species has long legs and a long hindclaw and a short tail.[6]

References

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  1. ^ BirdLife International (2021). "Anthus antarcticus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22705324A177963150. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22705324A177963150.en. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels". Archived from the original on 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2019-04-06. News just in of the discovery of the first South Georgia Pipit [Anthus antarcticus] nest in an area cleared of rodents by the Habitat Restoration Project. The nest was spotted at Schlieper Bay on the South coast of the North-West baiting zone at Weddell Point.
  3. ^ Amos, Jonathan (2018-05-09). "Rodents driven from South Georgia". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  4. ^ BirdLife International (2024). "Species factsheet: Anthus antarcticus". Data Zone. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  5. ^ Kenny, Luke (17 February 2021). "A Detailed Guide to Recognizing the South Georgia Pipit". Discover by Silversea. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  6. ^ Higgins, P. J.; Pater, L. M.; Cowling, J. S., eds. (2006). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Vol. 7: Boatbill to Starlings. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. pp. 1389–1391. ISBN 0-19-553996-6.
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