Yellow-breasted Pipit

About the Yellow-breasted Pipit

The yellow-breasted pipit (Hemimacronyx chloris) is a species of bird in the pipit and wagtail family Motacillidae that is found in the Drakensberg region of South Africa. The yellow-breasted pipit was formally described in 1842 as Anthus chloris by the German naturalist Hinrich Lichtenstein based on a specimen from Kaffirland, now the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The specific epithet is from Ancient Greek χλωρις/khlōris, χλωριδος/khlōridos meaning "greenfinch". The yellow-breasted pipit is now the only species placed in the genus Hemimacronyx that was introduced in 1922 by South African zoologist Austin Roberts. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek ἡμι-/hēmi- meaning "small" with the genus Macronyx that had been introduced by William Swainson in 1827. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.

The taxonomy is unsettled. A 2019 molecular genetic study by Darren Pietersen and collaborators found that the yellow-breasted pipit was embedded in a clade containing the longclaws in the genus Macronyx which in turn was embedded in the genus Anthus.

The yellow-breasted pipit has a bright yellow breast during breeding plumage, which fades to... Wikipedia →