Sprague’s Pipits (Anthus spragueii) occupying high-elevation intermontane valley habitat throughout the breeding season in southwest Montana

Abstract

Sprague's Pipit ( Anthus spragueii ) is an imperiled bird species that breeds in grasslands of the northern Great Plains of North America. While conducting avian surveys in the Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, southwest Montana, during spring and summer 2023, we detected approximately 10 male Sprague's Pipits performing aerial displays. These represent the first detailed observations of Sprague's Pipits in Beaverhead County, Montana, and the first confirmed observations of territorial displays therein. Subsequent detections included multiple adults, one of which was seen flying with food in its bill. We hypothesize that these observations represent a small but previously undescribed breeding population occurring above 2000 m elevation, which is higher than elevations at which this species is generally thought to breed. Our discovery also expands the known breeding habitat of this species to include intermontane valley bottoms, raising questions of whether the historical range included this habitat prior to its large-scale modifications across western North America and contemporary global change. These additions to our understanding of Sprague's Pipit ecology may be important for both land managers in the region and conservation efforts for this species. The evidence described here, of a breeding population of Sprague's Pipits in the Centennial Valley, Montana, may warrant further investigations in intermontane valleys throughout the region to better understand the breeding extent and the management actions needed to conserve this species and its habitat.