The Mountain pipit Anthus hoeschi: Museum specimens revisited
The current name for the Mountain Pipit, which breeds in summer in the high Drakensberg of South Africa and Lesotho, is Anthus hoeschi (type specimen from Namibia), with the taxa editus (Lesotho) and lwenarum (Zambia) as synonyms. Critical examination of the museum material on which this decision was based, comparing measurements and plumage characteristics of these taxa, suggests that Anthus editus should be the name used for this breeding population and it should not be lumped with Namibian and Zambian birds. The proposed long-distance migration to the north-west beyond the borders of South Africa is not supported by the available data and it is likely that the Mountain Pipit is a local altitudinal migrant. Keywords: Mountain Pipit, Anthus hoeschi, editus, lwenarum, moult, morphology, taxonomy, museum specimens.
Durban Natural Science Museum Novitates
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