Following Hall's (1961) revision of the world pipits of the genus Anthus, further research on Afrotropical pipits has shed light on the status of certain unresolved forms. Recent research has suggested the admission of several additional full species to the Afrotropical complement, which is here raised to sixteen, to include seventythree species and subspecies. There are fourteen species in the genus Anthus and two in the resurrected taxon Hemimacronyx Roberts. Attention is drawn to additional populations which should be described as new subspecies when adequate specimen coverage becomes available. The diagnostic criteria, habitat preferences and ranges of all forms recognized are given. M ajor concentrations of pipit taxa occur in northeastern, eastern and southern Africa, with poor representation in western Africa. The distribution patterns suggest the occurrence of m ajor invasions by ancestral forms from landmasses to the northeast and east of the continent, and also widespread evolutionary radiation within eastern and southern Africa. Many resulting endemics have highly vicariant, and in some instances, residual ranges. Some widespread species have inexplicably not occupied huge tracts of apparently suitable terrain. Keywords: Anthus, Hemimacronyx, Afrotropical, taxonomy, phylogeny, distribution.