Blyth's Pipit
Anthus godlewskii (Taczanowski, 1876)
Photo © Rob Stonehouse
STATUS
Eastern Palearctic. Monotypic.
OVERVIEW
Its occurrence only came to light in 1963 when Kenneth Williamson discovered a juvenile labelled as a Tawny Pipit, Anthus campestris, in the Natural History Museum at Tring. A full discussion of this record appeared in the Bulletin of the B.O.C. (June, 1977), finally being accepted in 1980. However, Thomas Parkin's name crops up a lot in the "Hasting Rarities" records involved in the fraud. In view of this the record requires a detailed review. Duly carried out (BOURC (2018) Ibis 160: 938).
NOT PROVEN
0). 1882 Sussex Brighton, caught, 23rd October, now at Natural History Museum, Tring (reg. no. 83.10.10.1).
(T. Parkin, Zoologist 1883: 34; Eds., Ibis 1884: 470; Walpole-Bond, 1938; BOU (1974), Ibis 116: 578; K. Williamson, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 97: 60-61; M. Shrubb, Sussex Bird Report 1978: 55; BOURC (1980) 122: 565).
[BOURC (2018), Ibis 160: 938; A. H. J. Harrop, British Birds 112: 89-98].
History Thomas Parkin of Halton, near Hastings (1883) in The Zoologist, 3rd series, Vol. VII. p. 34, says: 'On the 23rd October a Tawny Pipit, Anthus campestris, was caught by a birdcatcher in the neighbourhood of Hastings. Five instances of the occurrence of this bird in England are recorded in Mr. Harting's Handbook of British Birds (p. 108). Since the publication of this work, in 1872, two more have been reported, which, together with the subject under notice, bring the number up to eight. It seems somewhat strange that, with a single exception (the one from Scilly, noticed by Mr. Rodd, Zool., 1868, p. 1458), all these specimens have been obtained in the neighbourhood of Brighton.'
In an Editorial (1884) in The Ibis, Vol. XXVI. p. 470, under 'Additions to the Collection of Birds in the British Museum of Natural History in 1883,' they say: 'A specimen of the Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris), caught at Brighton in October 1882; presented by Messrs. G. Swaysland and Sons.'
BOURC (1974) in The Ibis, Vol. CXVI. p. 579, say: 'Identification was accepted but a majority of the Committee was not convinced of the validity of the record.'
K. Williamson (1977) in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, Vol. XCVII. pp. 60-61, says: 'When preparing a paper in 1963 ('The identification of the larger pipits' - Brit. Birds (1963) 56: 285-292), I found a specimen in the British Museum (Natural History), Tring, determined as "Anthus campestris" which I pointed out had been wrongly identified - since when it has been placed with the Blyth's Pipits A. godlewskii. The specimen was collected at Brighton, Sussex in October 1882 and is ex coll. Swaysland, reg. no. 83.10.10.1. It has been examined recently by Dr. D. W. Snow and P. Coulston, both of whom agree with my identification. In my paper I commented that A. godlewskii could occur as a vagrant in Britain, and despite a rejection of this view by Grant ('Field identification of Richard's and Tawny Pipits' - Brit. Birds (1972) 65: 287-290) one was obtained in Finland in September 1975. It therefore seems appropriate to record the B.M. specimen, the first and only one known from the British Isles, and the following are the details of identification of this skin, which in plumage is similar to Richard's Pipit A. novaeseelandiae richardi.
Measurements: Wing 85 mm. Tail 62 mm. Bill (to skull) 16 mm. Tarsus 28 mm. Hind claw 11 mm. Wing formula: 2nd=3rd=4th; 5th, 1 mm. shorter; emarginated 2nd-4th. Penultimate tail-feather; point of white wedge on inner web 20 mm. from tip; ultimate 10 mm. of shaft white....The hind claw is curved, not straight as it is in most richardi, and the curvature is typical of godlewskii.'
Previously rejected (Ibis 116: 579), the record has been reassessed and accepted in the light of additional evidence (BOURC (1980) Ibis 122: 565). However, in reviewing the activities of the Swaysland firm of taxidermists we find that fraud was probably committed with this record (BOURC (2018) Ibis 160: 938).
