Sprague's Pipit
Sprague's Pipit has declined: down 30% on the route-weighted index since 1969.
About the Sprague's Pipit
The Sprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii) is a North American member of the Wagtails & Pipits (Motacillidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the grassland birds.
- Size
- 6–8 in long (15–20 cm) — a slim, walking songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, prairie, pasture and hayfields.
- Diet
- Seeds and insects gathered from grasses and the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 88 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 5 states, most concentrated in the Prairie Potholes.
- Family
- Motacillidae · Grassland birds
Notable Sprague's Pipit Trends
No notable trend signals for Sprague's Pipit. See the full index history below.
Sprague's Pipit Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Sprague's Pipit is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.02 (95% range 0.00–0.05). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±24.6%, with 80% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| 2026 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| 2027 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| 2028 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| 2029 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
Where the Sprague's Pipit Is Detected
BBS routes recording Sprague's Pipit, sized by most recent count.
Sprague's Pipit Population Trend by State
| Minnesota | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Montana | +141% | 1970 | 44 |
| North Dakota | -86% | 1969 | 32 |
| South Dakota | -58% | 1972 | 10 |
| Wyoming | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
Sprague's Pipit Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Rockies | -91% | 1970 | 8 |
| Prairie Potholes | -41% | 1969 | 40 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +117% | 1969 | 40 |
Sprague's Pipit Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 30% since 1969. Grassland birds are North America's steepest-declining group, down roughly 50% since 1970 as prairie and pasture were lost.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.