Meadow Pipit

The Meadow Pipit is a small, brown bird with streaks, found in open countryside. It is often hard to notice until it flies up from the ground, making a thin, high-pitched call. Its upper parts are olive-brown with dark streaks, while the pale underside has fine dark streaks on the chest. When it flies, the outer tail feathers show white flashes. Its legs are usually pale pink. This bird is often mistaken for other similar birds, but it prefers moorland, grassland, and coastal areas, which helps to identify it. The Meadow Pipit is common across the UK, especially in upland areas and coastal marshes. Some birds move south in winter from northern areas, joined by birds from mainland Europe. It eats insects and small creatures, walking carefully through plants while bobbing its tail. The bird’s song flight, where it descends with wings raised and sings, is a well-known sound of open moorland in spring and summer.