diagnostics

12-13 cm. A diminutive, compact grassland pipit. Basic impression is of a tiny, chunky bird with a plain face, heavy streaking above and below, and a short white-sided tail that is not wagged up and down. In flight, tail looks short and narrow with conspicuous white outer panels, and wings appear broad-based and triangular. Throat whitish, often with dark speckling concentrated along malar stripe and in sub-moustachial band. Breast off-white in centre, washed pale buff at sides or with faint citrine-yellow tinge. Flanks usually with buffy wash continuous with sides of breast. Belly and undertail coverts buffy white to greyish white. Breast profusely streaked with broad blackish brown streaks that become sharper and narrower on flanks. Crown, mantle, rump and uppertail coverts medium grey-brown, often with an olive-green or yellowish cast when fresh, streaked or mottled darker. Outer web of outer tail feather, and tips of outer and second tail feathers white. Remiges dark with grey-brown edges; tertials, greater coverts and median coverts with paler tips. Eye brown. Legs short; pink. Claws short and strongly curved; hind-claw 6-7 mm. Base of lower mandible pink (Clancey 1990, Keith et al. 1992, Peacock 2006).

trophic

During the breeding season, the Short-tailed Pipit's range is limited by a specific suite of ecological requirements. The species inhabits short, moist, open grassland, 10-20 cm high, with or without light woody cover (Davies and Christian 2008). It shows a strong preference for grasslands regenerating after winter burns, with coarse grass tufts and scattered wild flowers and small forbs, interspersed with open soil patches to allow for terrestrial foraging, mobility and visibility (Tarboton et al. 1987). Reportedly breeds from 300-1 850 m in KwaZulu-Natal (Davies et al. 2003).

The Short-tailed Pipit's movements are poorly known, with current evidence suggesting a partial exodus from higher grasslands to coastal areas after breeding. In lower altitude subtropical or coastal grasslands it may be found in moist, short, tussocky grassland often in the general vicinity of water such as along margins of pans and dambos, on floodplains, or in depressions (Mendelsohn et al. 1988). However, the species may be resident in some areas, or undergo nomadic dispersion, depending on fires, rainfall and environmental conditions. The diet is little known, but the species is likely to be primarily insectivorous. Breeding occurs in green, tussocky grassland regenerating from winter burns in October to February, peaking in November.