Anthus leucophrys
Silhouette: Susan Murphy (original photograph), T. Michael Keesey (vectorization) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The plain-backed pipit or plain pipit (Anthus leucophrys) is a medium-sized passerine bird which is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It is found in open habitats, especially short grassland and cultivation. It builds its cup-shaped nest on the ground and usually lays three eggs. Like other pipits, this species is insectivorous.
The plain-backed pipit is a large pipit at 17 cm, but is otherwise an undistinguished looking species, faintly streaked grey-brown above and pale below with light breast streaking. It has a strong white supercilium, and dark moustachial stripes. It has long legs and tail, and a long dark bill. Sexes are similar, but juveniles have warmer brown upperparts.
Some care must be taken to distinguish this species from wintering tawny pipits, Anthus campestris. The plain-backed pipit is sturdier and darker than the Tawny, and stands more upright. Perhaps the best distinction is the characteristic "ssissik" call, quite different from the tawny pipit's "tchilip".
Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1 Plain-backed pipit - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Wikipedia →
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Plain-backed Pipit sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, based on 958 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th most-seen of the 398 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Plain-backed Pipit in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, against about 20% in June–July and September, the lowest months. That is one of Masai Mara National Reserve's wettest months, with about 140 mm of rain against 15 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Plain-backed Pipit sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 24
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Plain-backed Pipit sightings, Masai Mara National Reserve ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Kidepo Valley National Park (Uganda, about 40%).
Same genus: Anthus
The closest relatives of the Plain-backed Pipit that you can see in Masai Mara National Reserve (genus Anthus, Pipits) are Grassveld Pipit (about 20%) and Long-billed Pipit (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Plain-backed Pipit is recorded against all the birds logged in Masai Mara National Reserve (958 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
