Water Pipit

Anthus spinoletta (Linnaeus, 1758)

Water Pipit, Anthus spinoletta, is a passerine of the Palearctic, breeding across central, western and southern parts of the region and wintering in northern Africa. It is found in mountain areas of southern Europe and farther east to China, and in the colder season many birds shift to lower ground or to wet open lowlands. Its breeding plumage shows greyish-brown upperparts with fine dark streaking, pale pink-buff underparts that become whitish on the lower belly, a grey head with a broad white supercilium, and white outer tail feathers. In winter the head and upperparts are duller and more heavily marked.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Motacillidae — Wagtails, Pipits

Breeding range

Palearctic: c, w, s

Nonbreeding range

n AF