Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)

OTHER NAMES: Cheeper, Mipit, Peep
Latin Etymology: Anthus (a small bird mentioned by Pliny) pratensis ("of a meadow")

Adult Meadow Pipit (subspecies A. p. pratensis) at Trevose Head, Cornwall - June 2010

Local Name (Spain): Bisbita común ("Common Pipit")
Featured Subspecies: Anthus pratensis pratensis
Weight: 15-22g

Length: 14.5-15.5cm

Wingspan: 22-25cm

UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List - Near Threatened

Meadow pipits fall heavily into the category of "very common in the right places" - if you look on hillsides with lots of gorse or heather, this is probably THE bird you'll see most often, similarly on clifftop moors. Outside of this habitat, much less so - although I've seen it on fields in Geddington in the Autumn. Photographically, they aren't that flighty, and the sheer numbers of them you'll see in it's chosen habitats means you are bound to get a good photo sooner or later.

Related Species: 
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Motacillidae
Genus: Anthus
Subspecies: A. p. whistleri, A. p. pratensis

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A locally abundant upland resident (2,000,000 territories) moving to lowlands in Winter

 - Birds seen at sites including Trevose Head, Rainham Marshes, Geddington and Keswick.

SPAIN - A fairly common reisdent

 - SEVILLE 2011 TRIP: A few birds seen at El Rocio

Further Notes: Arkive, BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto