Anthus rufulus
Silhouette: bird_biochemist · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The paddyfield pipit or Oriental pipit (Anthus rufulus) is a small passerine bird in the pipit and wagtail family. It is a resident (non-migratory) breeder in open scrub, grassland and cultivation in southern Asia east to the Philippines. Although among the few breeding pipits in the Asian region, identification becomes difficult in winter when several other species migrate into the region. The taxonomy of the species is complex and has undergone considerable changes.
This is a large pipit at 15 cm, but is otherwise an undistinguished looking bird, mainly streaked grey-brown above and pale below with breast streaking. It is long legged with a long tail and a long dark bill. Sexes are similar. Summer and winter plumages are similar. Young birds are more richly coloured below than adults and have the pale edges to the feathers of the upper parts more conspicuous with more prominent spotting on the breast. The population waitei from north-western India and Pakistan is pale while the population malayensis from the Western Ghats is larger, darker and more heavily streaked with the nominate rufulus intermediate.
In winter some care must be taken to distinguish this from... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vasai-Virar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Asansol | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Indore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Kathmandu | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 5 | Kalyan-Dombivli | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Ludhiana | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Berhampore | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Ranchi | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Raipur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Nashik | 🇮🇳 India |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Pipit sighting in Kolkata on a given day, based on 1,307 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 51st most-seen of the 247 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Oriental Pipit in Kolkata on a given day, against under 5% in June and August, the lowest months. That is one of Kolkata's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 330 mm in July.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Oriental Pipit sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
16th of 72
Of the 72 cities where we can rate Oriental Pipit sightings, Kolkata ranks 16th at about 10%. The best odds are in Vasai-Virar (India, about 40%), Asansol (India, about 30%) and Indore (India, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Oriental Pipit is recorded against all the birds logged in Kolkata (1,307 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
