Some 15 subspecies are recognized:[2] It occurs in grassland and fields in Southern, Central and East Africa, south-east of a line from Angola through the DRCongo to Sudan.

The African pipit is 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) long and is a slender bird with an erect stance.

The underparts are white or pale buff with a streaked breast and plain belly and flanks.

The legs are long and pinkish and the slender bill is dark with a yellowish base to the lower mandible.

The song is a repeated series of twittering notes, given during an undulating song-flight or from a low perch.