AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

1190. Anthus sordidus similis

(1190) Anthus sordidus similis Jerdon.
The Rufous ROCK-PIPIT.
Anthus sordid us similis, Fauna B. I., Birds, 2nd ed. vol. iii, p. 285.
This Pipit inhabits the same geographical area as the preceding, being found in the Nilgiri and Palni Hills above 6,000 feet, Bour¬dillon also records it from Travancore, but the eggs sent to me thence by him are much too small to be those of this Pipit, unless abnormal, and are probably those of the Common Indian Pipit, Anthus r. rufulus.
Unlike the Nilgiri Pipit, this species frequents much more rocky, bare country. Howard Campbell says :—“These birds frequent the most rocky and bare of the higher hill-sides, and are never found on the wide grass slopes beloved by the Nilgiri Pipit. Moreover, whereas the latter bird is comparatively tame and confiding and so easy to track to its nest, the present one is very wild, will allow no close approach and, unless there are chicks or hard-set eggs, leaves its nest long before one comes close enough to it to make discovery easy. Nor does it build its nest in among the roots of grass, long or short, or in weeds, all those I have found being in holes of, or hollows under, rocks or boulders or well back in some crevice of the same. The nest is a pad or cup of grass fitting into the hollow in which it is built. The outer cup is shapeless, rather roughly put together and loose, but the inner cup, not more than. 3 inches in diameter, is neat and of finer stems of grass,”
Except that on rare occasions this Pipit does build its nest in among grass or weeds in some natural depression, there is nothing one can add to Howard Campbell’s account.
The breeding season is April and May. Howard Campbell took all his eggs between the 2nd and 21st of April, but Miss Cock¬burn and Betham obtained nests and eggs in May.
The eggs number one to three, Howard Campbell having taken single eggs hard-set.
As a series they are much more distinctly blotched than are the eggs of most Pipits, and I have one quite handsomely blotched and another with an almost black cap at the larger end. In one pair of eggs the ground is a pinkish-grey, in all the others pale grey. In the pinkish pair there are marblings and blotches of reddish- brown, and in the other eggs the markings vary from specks to distinct blotches of dark reddish-brown, brown or purple-black. In no egg are the freckles small and numerous enough to make it look unicoloured.
In shape the eggs are broad ovals of typical Pipit texture and fragile for their size.
Ten eggs average 22.8 x 17.0 mm, ; maxima 24.0 x 17.5 mm. minima 21.6 x 16.0 mm.
Bourdilloni three supposed eggs of this species average only 19.2 x 14.5 mm.

BookTitle: 
The Nidification Of Birds Of The Indian Empire
Reference: 
Baker, Edward Charles Stuart. The nidification of birds of the Indian Empire. Vol. 3. 1934.
Title in Book: 
1190. Anthus sordidus similis
Spp Author: 
Jerdon.
Book Author: 
Edward Charles Stuart Baker
CatNo: 
1190
Year: 
1934
Page No: 
142
Common name: 
Rufous Bock Pipit
M_ID: 
30418
M_SN: 
Anthus similis similis
Volume: 
Vol. 3
Term name: 
id: 
14270

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Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith