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Breeding Range. (Fig. 130). Fairly common locally on the Northwestern Drift Plain, Missouri Coteau, Coteau Slope, and Little Missouri Slope; uncommon and local on the Northeastern Drift Plain, Southern Drift Plain, and Missouri Slope; rare and local in the Agassiz Lake Plain Region--recent records from Cass, Grand Forks, and Traill Counties.

According to observations reported by Allen (1874), Audubon (1897), and Coues (1874, 1878), breeding populations in the state apparently were much greater during the early pioneering period. Coues (1878) reported that breeding populations were abundant on the prairie west of the Pembina Hills [within the Northeastern and Northwestern Drift Plains] and the species was considered to be especially numerous at the first crossing of the Mouse River [north-central Bottineau County].

The continuing destruction of large tracts of native prairie as a result of agricultural development undoubtedly has had a very pronounced, detrimental effect on this species.

Breeding Habitat. Characteristic of extensive tracts of grassland that are dominated by grasses or grass-like plants of mid-height. Habitats of this type include mixed-grass prairie on the uplands, particularly tracts that are ungrazed, lightly grazed, or only occasionally mowed. Dominant species in this type of prairie include the following: western wheatgrass, prairie junegrass, needle-and-thread, green needle-grass, blue grama, needleleaf sedge, and threadleaf sedge. Locally and especially on the Souris Lake Plain of Bottineau, McHenry, and Pierce Counties, extensive expanses of alkaline meadow are occupied by fairly dense breeding populations of the Sprague's Pipit. The dominant plant species in these habitats include the following: slender wheatgrass, fowl bluegrass, northern reedgrass, wild barley, Baltic rush, fescue sedge, and slender sedge. On the glacial outwash area of Kidder County, breeding populations of high density also were recorded locally on extensive subsaline wet-meadow zones of some of the larger alkali lakes; here the vegetation was usually dominated by saltgrass, alkaligrass, and wild barley.

Nesting. Breeding season: Late April to early September; peak, early May to mid-August. Singing males on territory were recorded as early as April 24 [1963] and as late as September 6 [1961] in Stutsman County (RES). Extreme egg dates from three nests range from June 7 to June 30 (Bent 1950). An adult carrying food was observed by Paul F. Springer on June 28 [1968]. Flying young were recorded as early as July [1873] by Coues (1874) and July 7 [1964] by Ann M. Gammell. Coues (1874 and 1878) reported nestlings as late as August 2 [1873].

During most years, there seems to be a temporal gap of inactivity between an early period of active breeding behavior extending from late April to early June and a late period of active breeding behavior from mid-July to early September. These seasonal changes were also noted by Monson (1934) in Cass County during the years 1927-1932. In 1873, on the basis of an early record of flying young (early July) and a late record of nestlings (August 2), Coues (1874) believed that two broods were probably reared each year.

Nests are situated on the ground within clumps of grass, rush, or sedge.

Indicated clutch size (4 nests): 4 to 5 eggs; mean, 4.5 eggs.

Figure 130. Breeding Range of Sprague's Pipit.

Sprague's Pipit