ComingsBirds.com/Antarctica

To the Beauty of Birds

The South Georgia Pipit Anthus antarcticus, is a sparrow sized bird, only found on the South Georgia archipelago. It is the Antarctic's only song bird, and South Georgia's only passerine, and one of the few non-seabirds of the region.

It builds nests from dried grass, usually within tussac grass, and lays four eggs a year. It lives off insects and spiders, and beach debris.

It has been threatened by the human introduction to the islands of rats, and also by environmental damage caused by humans themselves. It has been chosen as the poster bird of the South Georgia Heritage Trust's Habitat Restoration (Rat Eradication) project, which started eradicating rats on South Georgia in 2011.

This was photographed at Prion Island where it is safe because of the rat eradiation project.

To hear its song click here:
http://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Anthus-antarcticus?view=3
or here:
http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/south-georgia-pipit-anthus-antarcticus

South Georgia Pipit