Birds of North Carolina
their Distribution and Abundance
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
MOTACILLIDAE Members: Sprague's Pipit 428
General Comments
Accidental. This globally uncommon and range-restricted species breeds in the Northern Great Plains and winters in the south-central states, mainly in TX and into Mexico. There are only three records accepted by the NC BRC, though there are perhaps double that many reported in the literature. Of the accepted records, one was seen at Round Bald, Roan Mountain (Mitchell) on 27 Oct 1991 (Chat 56:53), (Chat 56:90). Another was found at Cape Hatteras Point (Dare) on 28 Oct 2001, and was photographed and seen by many birders until 18 Nov (Chat 66:4), (Chat 66:75). Lastly, and remarkably, one was photographed on a ship about 40 miles off the coast of Currituck on the late date of 2 Jun 2009 (Chat 73:163), (Chat 74:1). Great care should be taken in identifying (and documenting any report of) this species, considering how similar it is to other pipits (and not just the American Pipit) and even to some sparrows and female longspurs.
Breeding Status
Nonbreeder
NC BRC List
Definitive
State Status
none
U.S. Status
Definitive
State Rank
SA
Global Rank
G3G4
Coastal Plain
Two accepted records (see above).
Piedmont
No accepted records.
Mountain
One accepted record (see above).
Finding Tips