About Tmetothylacus tenellus (Cabanis, 1878)
The golden pipit, with the scientific name Tmetothylacus tenellus, is a distinctive pipit species that lives in dry grassland, savanna, and shrubland habitats across eastern Africa. It is native to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, and has been recorded as a vagrant in Oman, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Unlike most pipits, the adult male golden pipit is very easy to identify. It has yellow underparts and yellow wing markings. Viewed from the front, its yellow throat and breast marked with a dark band resembles the yellow-throated longclaw or the Pangani longclaw. However, neither of these longclaw species have yellow wings, a marking that is very visible during flight, and both longclaws have a black line on the face. The female golden pipit is a fairly typical brown-colored pipit, but it has a yellow underside to its wing, and an overall gold coloration.
