ABA Online Bird Photo Quiz 53
Answer
Apparently this quiz was too easy! Typically drab brown birds sitting on the ground present identification challenges—but not for most of you!
The overall color and habit of this bird suggest that it is likely a sparrow, bunting, longspur or pipit of some kind. We can see that the bill appears relatively slim, not thick like most sparrows and buntings. This bill shape should bring to mind larks and pipits. The upperparts appear relatively dark with some pale lines running down the back. Juvenile Horned Larks, which are mistaken for a lot of things, have longer primaries than our bird, the central tail feathers are pale and the legs are usually dark.
This leaves us with the pipits, a challenging group that could certainly cause some headaches. American Pipits have generally unstreaked upperparts quite unlike out bird. Before we dive into the Asian pipits, it makes sense to consider the other "American" pipit—Sprague's Pipit. The pale legs, short primary projection, plain face with a paler suggestion of an eye ring all fit Sprague's Pipit quite well. Now, if only this bird were flying high overhead singing!
This male Sprague's Pipit was photographed in central North Dakota in June 2007.
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The following people (listed by submission date beginning with the earliest) submitted correct answers for the August Bird Photo Quiz—Sprague's Pipit:
- Steven Mitten, Belize City, Belize
- Joshua Gahagan, Oakham, MA
- Terri Everett, Big Rapids, MI
- Jim Mountjoy, Galesburg IL
- Adam Nisbett, Saint James, MO
- Liis Veelma, Winnipeg, MB
- Karl Erich Mayer, Saint Clair Shores, Michigan
- Philip Kline, Tucson, Az
- Rob Lane, Chandler, AZ
- David Tyrer, Ottawa, Ontario. Canada
- Katherine Ross, San Francisco, CA
- Chris Warren, Portland, OR
- Joshua Covill, Columbia Falls, MT
- John Bissell, Grimes, IA
- Thomas Snetsinger, Brownsville, OR
- Nigel Bates, Hopewell, NJ
- Randy Mehoves, St. Cloud, MN
- Nathan Swick, Chapel Hill, NC
- Jon Atwood, Keene, NH
- Bret McCarty, Lakewood, Ohio
- Laura Coble, Cannon Falls, MN
- Jill Kaminski, Naples, FL
- Szilard J. Daroczi, Tg.-Mures, Romania
- Brendan Fogarty, Nassau, NY
- Larry Kline, Fredericksburg, VA
- Nell Haberman, Portland, Oregon
- Tim Hochstetler, Millersburg OH
- Brian McAllister, Saranac Lake, NY
- Clark Rushing, Boulder, CO
- Diana Doyle, Minneapolis, MN
- Thomas Lechleitner, Fort Lupton, Colorado
- Brian E. Small, Los Angeles, CA
- Ryan Dudragne, Swift Current, SK
- Tom Auer, Allouez, MI
- Mike Wasilco, Scottsville, NY
- Richard Garrigues, San Antonio de Belen, Heredia, Costa Rica
- Aaron Boone, Columbus, Ohio
- Elaine MacPherson, Sierra Madre CA
- Aaron R. Polichar, San Diego, CA
- John Breitsch, Denver, Colorado
- Ian Davies, Medford, MA
- Steve Hampton, Davis, CA
- Celestyn Brozek, Albuquerque, NM
- David Bell, Sault Ste. Marie, ON
- kurt Pohlman, kaneohe Hi.
- Owen McMurtrey, Chicago, IL
- Cinda Crosley, Pflugerville, TX
- Michael S. Levy, Centereach, N.Y.
- Joren Husic, Kunkletown, PA
- Louis Celenza, St. James, NY
- Wayne Meyer, Denison, TX
- Matt Baumann, Albuquerque,New Mexico
- John Garrett, Pasadena, CA
- Larry Lade, Saint Joseph, MO
- Aaron Hulsey, Smiths Grove, Ky
- Aaron Bilyeu, Placerville, CA
- Chris Woods, Toronto, Ontario
- Andy Bankert, Melbourne Beach, FL
- David Rosenbaum, Waco, TX
- Neil Gilbert, Orange, CA
- Scott Kaplan, Peabody, MA
- George Cresswell, Colorado Springs, CO
- James McKay, Mesa, AZ
- Jason Beason, Paonia, CO
- Michael Bender, Athens, GA
- Michael Bowen, Bethesda, MD
- Tim Hodge, Roseland, VA
- John Kuenzli, Columbus, OH
- Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA
- Greg Zupansic, Eugene, Oregon
- Steve Arlow, Rochford, Essex, UK
- Henry Wilton, Rutland, VT
- Erica Sanders, Aiken, SC
- Marc Ribaudo, Woodbridge, VA
- Thomas Hall, Livermore, CO
- David Haskell, Sewanee, TN
- Mike Rippey, Napa, CA
- Larry Therrien, Belchertown, MA
- Marcelo Brongo, Barcelona, Spain
- Ben Coulter, Erie, PA
- Alan Dupuis, Cambridge, NY
- Michael Woodruff, Spokane, WA
- Jeff Birek, Fresno, CA
- Paul Nolan, Charleston, SC
- Greg Swick, Ozark, Missouri
- Richard R. Eakin, Guys Mills, PA
- Noah Gaines, La Jolla, CA
- dawna foreman, waitsfield, vt
- Su Snyder, Wooster, OH
- Susan Harwood, Bethpage, N.Y.
- Charles Rossa, Manassas, Va
- Jonathan Comeau, Williston, VT
- Matt Yawney, Chelsea, MI
- Marlene Jay Cashen, Veradale, Washington
- Jonathan DeBalko, Wilkes-Barre, PA
- Justin Bosler, Baton Rouge, LA
- Lowell Young, Mariposa, CA
- John Dillon, Homer, LA
- Rick Poulin, Ottawa, Ontario
- Myles Falconer, Lakefield, ON
- Eric Antonio Mtz, Oaxaca, Mexico
- Luke Seitz, Falmouth, Maine
- Chris Burney, Lakeland, FL
- Phil Chaon, Cleveland Hts, OH
- Jim Kopitzke, Mesa AZ
- Karen Rubinstein, New York, NY
- Steve Steimel, Severna Park, MD.
- Sandra Lautrup, Effingham, Illinois
- Robert Packard, Riverside, CA
- Glen Lindeman, Salem, OR
- Nancy E. Hetrick, Albuquerque, NM
- Ben Loehnen, New York, NY
- Julie Cocke, Jacksonville, FL
- Blake Mathys, Milltown, NJ
- Julian Aver, New Brunswick, NJ
- Alex Ewing, Rocky Hill, NJ
- Sarah Gross, Canandaigua, NY
- James P. Smith, Amherst, MA
- Matthew Schneider, Silverton, OR
- Julia Marko Dunn, Newmarket, Ontario
- Sam Burckhardt, Chicago, IL
- Angie Langie, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Sarah J. Zastrow, Riverdale Park, MD
- Kathy Brodhead, Vancouver, BC
- Rich Swartzentruber, Salem, Oregon
How Did You Compare?
As stated in the quiz rules, answers must consist simply of the Common or English name exactly as it appears in the ABA Checklist.
The following list shows the number of submissions for each species guessed.
- Sprague's Pipit
- 125
- Sky Lark
- 6
- Chestnut-collared Longspur
- 4
- Vesper Sparrow
- 4
- Baird's Sparrrow
- 3
- Lark Sparrow
- 3
- Eastern Meadowlark
- 2
- Grasshopper Sparrow
- 2
- House Finch
- 2
- Cactus Wren
- 1
- Eastern Bluebird
- 1
- Horned Lark
- 1
- Least Bittern
- 1
- McCown's Longspur
- 1
- Mountain Plover
- 1
- Northern Bobwhite
- 1
- Pechora Pipit
- 1
- Purple Finch
- 1
- Purple Sandpiper
- 1
- Red-throated Pipit
- 1
- Red-winged Blackbird
- 1
- Smith's Longspur
- 1
- Western Meadowlark
- 1
- Wild Turkey
- 1
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The photo and answer for this quiz were supplied by Chris Wood.