Pipit

PIPITS confine themselves to open country, either hillside fields or damp, boggy areas. They are seen on the upland, plowed ground, more frequently in Autumn, occurring in flocks of from a dozen to fifty, the individuals well distributed over several acres. When one is flushed, several take flight, yet even on the wing they never collect in a flock but fly in extended order. When feeding the birds run rapidly on the ground, very much like Sandpipers, tilting and flirting their tails like Brook Warblers. When disturbed they rise very quickly to a considerable height, mounting by aerial leaps with powerful wings, constantly uttering their sharp double syllabled call which gives the birds their name of "Pipit." They are entirely terrestrial, never alighting on branches. Their food consists of worms and insects, freely mixed with seeds. They seldom remain long in one locality and are more roving than the Shore Larks with whom they frequently associate. —Barrows.