Scientific name: Anthus spinoletta (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Pipits
Field characters. 17 cm. Close in size to Tawny Pipit, but bulkier and with shorter tail. Easiest field character to distinguish both Water Pipit and Rock Pipit from other pipits are the dark lead-grey or black legs. In summer plumage, breast unspotted or nearly so and strongly washed with pink. In winter greyer, with long and distinct white supercilium, especially upperparts less heavily streaked than Meadow Pipit, sometimes even uniform grey, underparts often whiter, legs dark but sometimes looking pinkish, and outer tail feathers white, not grey. Habits as in other pipits. Found in pairs or family groups during summer, often in small flocks in winter.
Voice. Call 'zeet', weaker than Rock Pipit; more or less intermediate between call of Rock and Meadow Pipit. Song like Rock Pipit: pipit-like series of tones, accelerating, but unlike other pipits finishing in series of rising bubbling tones.
Distribution. Central and south European mountains. In winter locally common along coasts and inland.
Habitat. In mountainous regions, often above treeline and sometimes even above snowline, usually in moist meadows in rocky terrain near streams. In winter, inland on arable fields, near streams, ditches, swamps, etc., usually in small groups. Habitats of Rock and Water Pipit sometimes overlap in winter.
Food. Mainly invertebrates, sometimes vegetable matter. Both Rock Pipit and Water Pipit catch prey on ground while walking or after short runs. Catches flies by making short flight straight up (like wagtails); also wades in water, turns over weeds and stones, etc.