Elevation and landscape change drive the distribution of a montane, endemic grassland bird.

The strong effect of elevation on the highly range-restricted Nilgiri pipit is likely to make it vulnerable to climate change. This highly range-restricted species is locally extinct at several locations, and persists at low densities in remnants of its habitat left by recent fragmentation. Our findings indicate a need to control and reverse the spread of exotic woody invasives to preserve the grasslands themselves and the specialist species dependent upon them.