Anthus antarcticus
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The South Georgia pipit (Anthus antarcticus) is a sparrow-sized bird found only on the South Georgia archipelago off the Antarctic Peninsula. It is the only songbird in Antarctica, South Georgia's only passerine, and one of the few non-seabirds found in the region. It builds nests from dried grass, usually within tussac grass, and lays four eggs a year. It feeds on small insects and spiders, and beach debris.
The South Georgia pipit was formally described in 1884 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis based on a specimen collected on South Georgia. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word antarcticus, meaning 'southern' or 'antarctic'. It is also known as the Antarctic pipit.
The South Georgia pipit is a small and stocky pipit, 17 cm (6.7 in) long and weighing 36 g (1.3 oz). The species has long legs and a long hindclaw and a short tail. Its upperparts are dark brown to blackish, with cream- to buff-colored margins on the feathers making it look heavily streaked. The underparts are whitish or buff in color with dark streaks.
It has been threatened by the human introduction of rats, mice, and reindeer to South Georgia,...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | 🇬🇸 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |
More parks will be added in future updates.
No species of the same family or order lives in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a South Georgia Pipit sighting in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on a given day, based on 542 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 37 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a South Georgia Pipit in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on a given day, against about 30% in December, the lowest month. July and August have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most South Georgia 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.
Only South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, in our data
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate South Georgia Pipit sightings: about 50% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the South Georgia Pipit is recorded against all the birds logged in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (542 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.
