The American Pipit is a slim, streaky, sparrow-sized bird of open ground that most people overlook, since it blends into the plowed fields, shorelines, and mudflats where it feeds during migration. Gray-brown above and buff below with fine streaks, it is best recognized by behavior: it walks (rather than hops) with a steady gait, constantly bobbing its tail up and down, and it flashes white outer tail feathers when it flushes, often giving a sharp "pip-pit" call that lends the bird its name.
Pipits nest on Arctic and alpine tundra far from Michigan and pass through the state as migrants, appearing in loose flocks on bare fields, wet shorelines, and short-grass ground in spring and, more numerously, in late fall. They forage by walking briskly over open ground, picking up insects and seeds. Easily mistaken for a sparrow at a glance, the American Pipit gives itself away with its thin bill, tail-bobbing walk, and habit of favoring the most open, barren habitats.
Feeds on insects and other small invertebrates and on seeds, gathered by walking briskly over open ground, shorelines, and mudflats and picking prey from the surface. It takes more insects when available and more seeds in colder conditions, foraging in loose flocks during migration.
The American Pipit has a slender body and a thin, pointed bill (not a stout seed-eating bill), walks rather than hops, constantly bobs its tail, and shows white outer tail feathers in flight. Sparrows are chunkier with thick bills and usually hop.
As a migrant in spring and, more commonly, in late fall, on plowed fields, shorelines, mudflats, and short-grass open ground. It nests on Arctic and alpine tundra and does not breed in the state.
The American Pipit pumps its tail up and down almost constantly as it walks, a characteristic behavior that, along with its walking gait, helps distinguish it from superficially similar streaky birds.
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