Field Guide
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Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensis
Not yet photographed by the community
Abundant pipit of open moorland and upland grassland.
Species Profile
Green List (not of conservation concern in the UK)
- Lifespan
- 3–5 years in the wild, occasionally up to 10 years
- Size & Weight
- 14–15 cm, wingspan 22–26 cm; 15–22 g
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, moorlands, upland pastures, and rough ground with sparse vegetation across the UK.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread breeding resident throughout the UK, particularly in upland and northern regions; populations augmented by Continental migrants in winter, with some British birds migrating south.
- Diet
- Primarily small insects and spiders during breeding season; seeds and plant material in winter months.
- Prey
- Insects (flies, beetles, aphids), spiders, and small invertebrates; seeds of grasses and weeds in winter
- Predators
- Sparrowhawks, Merlins, Hobbies, Kestrels, and corvids; ground predators include foxes and cats near habitation
- Mating Season
- April to July
- Breeding
- Clutch of 3–5 eggs; incubation period 10–14 days; fledging at 10–14 days; typically 2 broods per season, occasionally 3 in southern regions
- Behaviour
- Highly territorial males perform distinctive parachuting display flights with jingling song. Often seen singly or in loose flocks, particularly during migration and winter. Ground-nesting species that relies on cryptic plumage for concealment.
- •Male Meadow Pipits perform a characteristic 'parachute display' where they rise steeply into the air while singing, then glide down with wings and tail spread
- •Often used as unwilling foster parents by Cuckoos, which lay eggs in their nests at a remarkably high frequency in some populations
- •Their name derives from their preference for open meadows and their thin, high-pitched 'pipit' call notes
- •Meadow Pipits are one of the earliest spring migrants, often returning to UK breeding grounds in late February or early March
- •Despite their small size, they undertake significant migrations between the UK and wintering grounds in southern Europe and North Africa
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