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Water Pipit
(Anthus spinoletta)
German name(s): "Wasserpieper"
Size: 15.5-17 cm
Weight: 19-23 g
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Water Pipits are small members of the genus Anthus. Their
plumage is highly
cryptic.
Adults
have distinct
breeding and
eclipse
plumages.
Breeding
Water Pipits of nominate race
"spinoletta"
have a pinkish front (from throat to chest), while the rest of
the underparts, from belly to undertail coverts, is white.
Apart from off-white supercilia, the head is grey. The back
is olive-brown with fine darker streaking, while the wings
are dark-grey with white edge lining creating light wing bars.
In breeding Water Pipits of race "coutellii"
the underparts are more rufous-buff tinged and less streaked than in race
"spinoletta".
In eclipse
the front turns grey, with dark brown-grey streaking. The
head turns brownish, while otherwise the upperparts remain
largely unchanged.
The irises are dark; the straight, slender bill is dark-grey
(with a lighter lower mandible in winter) and the legs and
feet are also dark-grey.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Water
Pipit at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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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 Water Pipit is available
HERE
.
Water Pipits are a mostly migratory species of which there are 3
extant races. Their overall range extends, with gaps, from southern
and western Europe via south-eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle
East and parts of Arabia into central and eastern Asia, as far as
eastern China.
Nominate race "spinoletta" is found in southern and western Europe
and the north-western mountains of Asia Minor.
Race "coutellii"
breeds in a range extending from the mountains of Asia Minor (except
the North-west) to the Caucasus, northern Iran and Turkmenistan.
Race "blakistoni" breeds in parts of central to eastern Asia,
overwintering in the border region of Pakistan/India and in
southern China.
In Europe two races of Water Pipits are present.
Birds of nominate race
"spinoletta"
are found as permanent residents only in mountain ranges
of southern Europe (for details see, e.g.,
Wikipedia  ).
In south-eastern Europe (eastward of the Alps, along the
Danube and in the High Tatras and Carpate mountains)
they are summer breeding migrants.
Elsewhere (in large parts of Spain, France, the south-eastern
coastal fringe of England, parts of Germany and lowland Italy
and Greece, the West coast of the Black Sea) they stay as
winter migrants.
The Middle Eastern race
"coutellii"
is present in the Caucasus mountain range.
In the South-eastern corner of the mountain range, towards
the Caspian Sea, they are sedentary. Elsewhere in the high
mountains they are breeding migrants. On both sides of the
range, including the northern, European side, they descend
to lower altitudes to overwinter.
Water Pipits specialize in very different types of habitat
during and outside their breeding season.
While they breed on bare alpine slopes and upland plains
at high altitude, they overwinter in a variety of aquatic
habitats (hence their name), such as freshwater marshes,
ponds, watercress beds and also in ephemeral wetlands like
waterlogged meadows or flooded fields.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "spinoletta"
J. Pires reports finding Water Pipits,
nominate race
"spinoletta",
occasionally, mostly during the winter months, in southern central
Portugal.
G. Normand spotted a Water Pipit, race
"spinoletta",
on the slopes of the Pic de l'Homme, Pyrenees, France, in June 2021.
Race "coutellii"
We have not seen a Water Pipit, race
"coutellii",
in Europe yet.
The birds shown below were found by D. Wilczynska on the southern
slopes of the Caucasus in Georgia in June 2018.
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Photos |
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Race "spinoletta"
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ADULT |
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BREEDING |
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Frontal view of a Water Pipit in breeding
plumage
looking sideways
(photo courtesy of G. Normand)
[Pic de l'Homme, Pyrenees, France, June 2021]
Distant near-frontal view of a Water Pipit in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, June 2018]
Near-lateral view of a Water Pipit in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, June 2018]
Lateral view of a Water Pipit in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, June 2018]
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NON-BREEDING |
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Near-frontal view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
with its tail cocked
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, December 2017]
Near-frontal view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, December 2013]
Near-frontal view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
looking sideways
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2019]
Near-lateral view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, December 2013]
Lateral view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, November 2020]
Lateral view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
with its tail cocked
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, December 2017]
Lateral view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, December 2013]
Near-dorsal view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, December 2013]
Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, December 2013]
Race "coutellii"
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ADULT |
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NON-BREEDING |
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Frontal view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]
Frontal view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]
Near-lateral view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]
Near-lateral view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]
Lateral view of a Water Pipit in non-breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Frontal view of a juvenile(?) Water Pipit
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]
Near-frontal view of a juvenile(?) Water Pipit
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]
Lateral view of a juvenile(?) Water Pipit
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]
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.