Olive-backed Pipit

Olive-backed Pipit
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Anthus hodgsoni

Malay Name: Apit-apit Pokok Timur

Chinese Name: 树鹨

Range: Found in Siberia, Mongolia, China to Japan and winters to Indian subcontinent, southern China and Southeast Asia

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: hodgsoni, yunnanensis.

Size: 16-17 cm

Identification: Resembles Red-throated Pipit but has plain greenish-olive upperparts, broad whitish supercilium and lacks the pinkish-red head-sides and throat.

Similar looking species: Red-throated Pipit

Habitat: Wooded area.

Behaviour/Ecology: Eats mainly insects, but takes some seeds, especially outside the nesting season. Forages on the ground or in low trees.

Local Status: Vagrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024 (all records)
Early date 03 Dec 2010
Late date 03 Dec 2010
Bar chart not displayed for this species; no records in the given time period.
Only one confirmed record, from Bidadari in Dec 2010.
Olive-backed Pipit at Bidadari on December 2010. Photo Credit: Mark G
Olive-backed Pipit at Thailand. Photo credit: Daniel Koh aka Hiker
Olive-backed Pipit at Thailand. Photo credit: Myron Tay

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Olive-backed Pipit)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Anthus hodgsoni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22718550A88191672.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Alström, P. & Mild, K. (2004). Pipits and Wagtails of Europe, Asia and North America. Christopher Helm.

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula (Vol. 1). Academic Press, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Olive-backed Pipit. Retrieved on July 13, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/olive-backed-pipit.

To top