Tree pipit

The tree pipit (Anthus trivialis) is very similar in appearance to the meadow pipit, but much rarer (in the United Kingdom, that is).

The tree pipit has red conservation status in the United Kingdom due to the steady decline in numbers over recent years, especially in southern and central England.

The tree pipit is widely distributed throughout most of Europe, although absent from Iceland and Spain, and it is also found in the northern parts of Asia. In the United Kingdom it is most likely to be seen in western parts. The tree pipit is a migratory bird, spending its winters in sub-Saharan Africa.

The tree pipit inhabits immature coniferous woodland, bracken-covered slopes and open heathland, in both upland and lowland regions.


Appearance

The tree pipit is about 15 centimetres (6 inches) in length. It is plumper in appearance than the meadow pipit, and has a heavier bill. The plumage is streaky brown above and lighter below, with a yellowish tinge. The flanks are finely streaked. The sides of the tail are white. The legs are pinkish and the hind-claws short. Male and female tree pipits are similar in appearance.


Behaviour

The tree pipit is not a frequent flyer, except when migrating, spending most of its time walking and running with tail wagging. It also perches in trees, on its own. The male tree pipit does, however, have an extravagant display flight that consists of flying upwards from a high tree perch and descending in spirals with wings and tail outstretched, singing as he does so.

The tree pipit has a variety of calls and songs. There is a harsh “sip sip” alarm call, a long drawn-out “tease” and the male’s trilling “seea-seea-seea” courting song which has been likened to that of a canary. Hearing the call may be the best way of distinguishing between a tree pipit and a meadow pipit.

Tree pipits feed mainly on insects, including beetles, weevils, caterpillars and spiders. Berries will be added to the diet later in the summer.


Breeding

Tree pipits reach their nesting grounds in April, although pairs do not form until late April or early May, which is when the display fights mentioned above take place. A nest is built in a hollow in a clump of heather or grass in May or June, consisting of plant stems and moss and lined with animal hairs or grass. The clutch is of four to six eggs which are incubated by the female alone for up to 13 days. Both parents feed the young for up to 14 days in the nest, after which the chicks leave to conceal themselves in the surrounding undergrowth, with the parents continuing to feed them for another two weeks. When they have fledged, all the birds will roam the area in search of food. A second brood may be raised.

Tree pipits leave for their winter quarters in September.

© John Welford