Pipits in Nepal (1 Viewer)

[mjgrunwell]

Hello, getting to grips with big pipits. Found this on dry fields in Kathmandu this morning.
Lores look pale so rules out tawny and paddyfield? Could it be Blyth's?
Advice welcome

 

[Phil Bishop]

Those median coverts suggests Richards Pipit to me, but don't have any references to hand at the moment.

 

[Andy Adcock]

You can see the hind claw in pic 1 and it doesn't look long enough for Richard's? The streaky crown is a feature of Blyth's I think?

 

[KenM]

Short tail, short bill and a shortish hind claw....😮

 

[Phil Bishop]

You can see the hind claw in pic 1 and it doesn't look long enough for Richard's? The streaky crown is a feature of Blyth's I think?

Certainly is very short-didn't see that earlier.

 

[David Roche]

Any reason why it isn't Paddyfield? Certainly the most likely, given the location. That's what I would be calling it, if I saw that there, or somewhere like Thailand

 

[andyb39]

I would also call this Paddyfield. It's not Blyth's, as the median covert centres are pointed. If you look carefully at the 3rd image, a thin loral stripe is just about visible. The rather solid, warm brown ear coverts, forming a cheek patch, and the gingery fringes to the greater coverts and flight feathers are also typical of Paddyfield, as is the short tail.

 

[Grahame Walbridge]

Any reason why it isn't Paddyfield? Certainly the most likely, given the location. That's what I would be calling it, if I saw that there, or somewhere like Thailand

I would also call this Paddyfield. It's not Blyth's, as the median covert centres are pointed. If you look carefully at the 3rd image, a thin loral stripe is just about visible. The rather solid, warm brown ear coverts, forming a cheek patch, and the gingery fringes to the greater coverts and flight feathers are also typical of Paddyfield, as is the short tail.

Agree with David and Andy, quite apart from the wrong median covert pattern, the bird lacks the heavier, more organised streaking to the upperparts of Blyth's + bill structure is wrong. Blyth's typically has a shorter, more pointed, deeper based= more conical shape to its bill. The rather weak loral pattern is not that unusual in Paddyfield.

Grahame

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Agree with Paddyfield for all the reasons stated - (although I only got so far as to just rule out Richards having given this only a cursory look initially, clearly all the features Andy and Graham point to are present.)

 

[mjgrunwell]

Hello, getting to grips with big pipits. Found this on dry fields in Kathmandu this morning.
Lores look pale so rules out tawny and paddyfield? Could it be Blyth's?
Advice welcome

Thanks for all your comments, I am happy to go with Paddyfield, you can see a hint of a dark loral line and the secondary coverts, as mentioned are not right for Blyth's. Paddyfield it is.