Pipits and Wagtails (Motacillidae)

Paddyfield Pipit (Anthus rufulus) - HBW 9, p. 746

French: Pipit rousset German: Orientspornpieper Spanish: Bisbita Oriental
Other common names: Indian/Oriental Pipit

Taxonomy: Anthus rufulus Vieillot, 1818, Bengal, India.
May form a superspecies with A. novaeseelandiae, A. richardi and A. cinnamomeus, and all were formerly treated as conspecific; recent DNA studies, however, do not support a close relationship between them. Race albidus possibly indistinguishable from medius; also, birds from Lombok and Sumbawa (W Lesser Sundas) somewhat intermediate between former race and malayensis. N Sulawesi population of uncertain racial identity, tentatively included in albidus. Six subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

waitei Whistler, 1936 - NW Indian Subcontinent.
rufulus Vieillot, 1818 - most of Indian Subcontinent (except NW, N and extreme SW) E to S China, S to S Thailand and Indochina.
malayensis Eyton, 1839 - extreme SW India (Nilgiri Hills), Sri Lanka, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, N & SE Borneo and S Indochina.

See all 6 subspecies

waitei Whistler, 1936 - NW Indian Subcontinent.
rufulus Vieillot, 1818 - most of Indian Subcontinent (except NW, N and extreme SW) E to S China, S to S Thailand and Indochina.
malayensis Eyton, 1839 - extreme SW India (Nilgiri Hills), Sri Lanka, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, N & SE Borneo and S Indochina.
lugubris (Walden, 1875) - Philippines; possibly also N Borneo.
albidus Stresemann, 1912 - Sulawesi, Bali and W Lesser Sundas (Lombok, Sumbawa, Komodo, Padar, Rinca, Flores, Sumba).
medius Wallace, 1864 - E Lesser Sundas (Sawu, Roti, Timor, Kisar, Leti, Moa, Sermata).