Identification
A small, pretty member of the pipit family. Note the yellow underparts, the breast band of black streaks, and the scaly brown upperparts. Males and females are similar, but females are duller. The white edges of the tail are conspicuous in weak, fluttering flight. Found on the ground in montane grassland, often in wet areas. Similar to Yellow-throated Longclaw, but there is little overlap in range, and Sharpe’s is separated by being much smaller and having a streaky rather than solid black breast band. Brownish immatures can be confused with pipits, but show some pale yellow below. The song is a series of musical whistles in an up-and-down pattern, given from a perch or in flight. The calls include a sharp “siit” and a longer, metallic “chweee.”