Bird · GBIF taxon 2490255
Water Pipit
Anthus spinolettaWater pipits are hardy montane songbirds that nest on damp alpine pastures and rocky slopes, foraging close to melting snowfields and glacial streams. Breeding males display with a rhythmic song flight, fluttering upward before parachuting down onto a rock with splayed wings and a flush of pinkish plumage across their breast. Come autumn, they migrate down to lowland water margins, flooded fields, and coastal marshes, swapping their alpine haunts for muddy wetland edges.
SongbirdAlpineMigratory
1 / 7—observations
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Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Mayfly larvae
- Midges
- Beetles
Predators
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk
- Peregrine Falcon
- Red Fox
ThreatsAlpine habitat shifts driven by climate change and drainage of lowland winter wetlands
HabitatsAlpine meadows, montane scree, freshwater wetlands, marshes, and flooded lowlands
Life span5–8 years
Classification
- FamilyMotacillidae
- SpeciesAnthus spinoletta
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Winter Scanning: Check muddy margins of reservoirs and gravel pits with binoculars to catch them pumping their tails.
- Breeding Season Observation: Watch alpine tundra near snowfields above the treeline for ascending song-flight displays.
- Identification Clue: Look for pale whitish outer tail feathers and dark legs, which distinguish it from similar winter pipits.
Close Relative (c) Stanley Davis, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Stanley Davis · cc-by
Close Relative (c) egorbirder, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Same Family Jac. Janssen from BAARLO LB, NL / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
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