Birds · Passeriformes · Motacillidae

Meadow Pipit

Anthus pratensis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

A small, unobtrusive pipit, streaked brown above and heavily streaked dirty white below, with white outer tail feathers and a long, straight hind claw. It is almost always seen on the ground and in flocks, and is better identified by voice than by plumage.

Weight

15 g – 25 g

Size

14 cm – 15 cm

Lifespan

5 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

No wintering figure for Spain, though several million individuals are assumed to be present

GrasslandInsectivore Diurnal Bird Grassland

46countries 207parks6same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt sings on a parachuting descent to mark its territory.
It is one of the commonest hosts of the common cuckoo in northern Europe and on the Iberian Peninsula too.
In the breeding season its diet consists almost entirely of invertebrates under five millimetres long: flies, midges and beetles.
It is one of the main prey of the merlin, which hunts low over the ground in exactly the same open country it occupies.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Meadows, heath and open grassland
Gestation / incubation: About 11-14 days, by the female alone
Litter / clutch size: 4-6 eggs, with one or two clutches between March and August. The nest is built on the ground

Sources consulted: SEO/BirdLife (ficha y III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España); IUCN Red List; Asturnatura; Lista Roja Europea de Aves 2021; De Juana y García 2015; SEO/BirdLife 2012, Atlas de las aves en invierno en España 2007-2010