Long-billed Pipit

The long-billed, or brown rock, pipit is a medium-large pipit 16–17.5 cm long, undistinguished on the ground, mainly sandy grey above and whitish or pale buff below. It is very similar to the tawny pipit but slightly larger, with a longer tail and longer dark bill. It has a wide distribution, and the systematics of this complex are yet to be clarified (Wikipedia, general species account).

The flight is strong and direct and the call a characteristic chupp, like the desert lark's. The song is like the tawny pipit's but slower and more varied, sri...churr...sri...churr. The breeding habitat is dry open slopes with rocks and low vegetation, and the nest is on the ground with two to four eggs. SoIB 2023 rates it a Moderate conservation priority, a resident and winter migrant of grassland and scrub with a Large range of about 285,000 km² and a rapid long-term decline of about 62% (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).