The New Zealand pipit is a fairly small passerine bird of open country in New Zealand and outlying islands. It belongs to the pipit genus Anthus in the family Motacillidae.
New Zealand pipit
Watercolour by Georg Forster made on James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific Ocean. This painting is the holotype for the species.
New Zealand pipit
A New Zealand pipit A. n. aucklandicus and megaherbs on Campbell Island
The pipits are a cosmopolitan genus, Anthus, of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. Along with the wagtails and longclaws, the pipits make up the family Motacillidae. The genus is widespread, occurring across most of the world, except the driest deserts, rainforest and the mainland of Antarctica.
Pipit
The Australasian pipits of New Zealand may represent a separate species from those found elsewhere.
The plumage colour of the long-billed pipit is typical of the genus, although this subspecies lacks the extensive streaking many other pipits, including other subspecies, have on the breast
Berthelot's pipit is restricted to the Atlantic islands of Madeira and the Canary Islands