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Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis) German name(s): "Baumpieper" Size: 15 cm; wing span 25-27 cm Weight: 12-29 g

Europe: Family Group 24 Family Group 24 Table White Wagtail Western Yellow Wagtail Grey Wagtail Tawny Pipit Berthelot's Pipit Red-throated Pipit Tree Pipit Meadow Pipit Water Pipit Eurasian Rock Pipit Greater Short-toed Lark Calandra Lark Woodlark Eurasian Skylark Bearded Reedling House Sparrow Tree Sparrow Spanish Sparrow Rock Sparrow Trumpeter Finch European Serin Atlantic Canary Red-fronted Serin Eurasian Siskin Common Redpoll Arctic Redpoll Common Linnet Brambling Common Chaffinch European Goldfinch Eurasian Bullfinch Hawfinch Common Crossbill Common Rosefinch Yellowhammer Cirl Bunting Common Reed Bunting Ortolan Bunting Black-headed Bunting Corn Bunting Rock Bunting House Bunting Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Tree Pipits are a small member of the genus Anthus. Their plumage is highly cryptic. The front is light-buff to grey, with brown streaks, mostly on the chest, but also on the sides. The streaks on the sides are thinner than those on the front. The belly, vent and undertail coverts are light-buff. The lores, eyebrows and eye-rings are also light-buff. The crown and the back, including the tail, are mostly greyish-brown, with darker streaking in particular on the mantle and with dark brownish-grey flight feathers with lighter-brown edge lining, which is most prominent on the upperwing coverts. The eyes have dark-brown irises. The slender bill has an upper mandible that is near-black and much darker than the lower, horn- to flesh-coloured one. The legs and feet are pale orange-brown.

Taxonomy, classification See Tree Pipit at Wikipedia (Baumpieper bei Wikipedia ).

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Tree Pipit is available HERE . There are 2 races of Tree Pipits, namely nominate race "trivialis", and race "haringtoni", both of which are long-distance migrants. Race "trivialis" is by far the most wide-spread, breeding from much of Europe into mid-latitude western and central Asia. They can also be found around the coastline of the Black Sea, along the Caucasus and along the southern coastal fringe of the Caspian Sea. The European and parts of the western Asian populations winter in sub-Saharan Africa and much of eastern Africa (except the eastern coastal fringe). On passage, Tree Pipits, race "trivialis", can also be found using the flight path across the eastern fringe of the Arabian peninsula, through Oman and Yemen. Some Tree Pipits stay and spend the winters in eastern Arabia. Race "haringtoni" is found as a breeding migrant only in two areas in southern central Asia. They, and the eastern Asian population of race "trivialis" winter in northern and central India. For details see Wikipedia . In Europe Tree Pipits of nominate race "trivialis" are found as breeding migrants. They are present over much of the continent, from northern Spain, Britain (but not Ireland/Northern Ireland), France, the Benelux countries, Germany and Denmark eastwards into Asia. Areas where they are not found are Spain, except the far North, the Cote Azure, lowland Italy, lowland south-eastern Europe and much of Greece. They are also absent from the Mediterranean islands. Tree Pipits have a preference for open country with scattered shrubs and trees. However, they do not stay in areas where grass is too short. On passage they use commercial crops more than during the rest of the year. Outside the breeding season they have a preference for open country, including commercial crops, with scattered trees, including acacia shubs in savannah, or the edges of open woodland.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "trivialis" J. Pires reports finding a Tree Pipit, race "trivialis", in Mora, Evora, Portugal, in February and May 2014, and another at the Minutos Dam, near Montemor o Novo, Evora, Portugal, in December 2019. D. Wilczynska reports spotting a Tree Pipit, race "trivialis", near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, in the timeframe August to September 2016.

Photos

Race "trivialis"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Meadow Pipit in worn plumage; note the strong supercilium and the pink base of the lower mandible of the bill (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2014]

Near-frontal view of a Tree Pipit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2014]

Near-frontal view of a Tree Pipit, showing clearly the streaked cap (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, September 2016]

Lateral view of a Tree Pipit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2014]

Lateral view of a Tree Pipit (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, September 2016]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Tree Pipit (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, August 2016]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Dorsal view of a juvenile Tree Pipit; note the rather short horn-coloured bill (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Minutos Dam, near Montemor o Novo, Evora, Portugal, December 2019]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Apr - Aug

Eggs: 4 - 6

Incubation period: 12 - 14 days

Fledging age: 12 - 14 days

Tree Pipits, although highly migratory and with limited time in their breeding grounds, usually have 2 broods per season. Accordingly, the chicks develop very quickly, often leaving the nest before having flight. The length of the breeding season depends on geographic latitude and is longer in the southern parts of the range than at the northern end. There can be anything from 2 to 8 eggs per clutch.

Nest

Type: Basket

Material: Dry grass, reeds

Height above ground: N/A

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female

Dependent care: Female & male

Tree Pipit collecting nest material (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2020]

Eggs

Size: 20 x 15 mm

Colour: Grey, with dark grey-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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