Meadow Pipits - Hebridean Birds
Western Isles Birds - Meadow Pipits - Hebridean Birds - Western Isles Birds.
These beautiful birds often seen here in The Western Isles are thrushlike birds
Meadow Pipits resemble rock pipits, except that they have pinkish legs and are more olive coloured and are more dainty that the rock pipits.
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| Bird Overview - Meadow Pipits |
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| Description |
A small brown streaked bird - looks a little like a small song thrush. The meadow pipit has mainly brown above and buff below, with darker streaking on most of its plumage. It has pale pink legs and a thin bill. The legs are dark brown although sometimes they are reddish too.It has a small thin bill and is heavily streaked down the belly to flanks.
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| Habitat |
The meadow pipits, like uplands and cliff tops
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| Food |
Some seeds though mainly insects
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| Voice |
The call is a weak tsi-tsi. The simple repetitive song is given in a short song flight.
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| Breeding |
Breeding can be perilous - as these birds nest on the ground and are vulnerable to predators like the cuckoo. The pipits attracts the attention of the cuckoo - which often "homes in" on the Pipits nest - the adult pipits get really agitated as one is nearby. The meadow pipit lays 3 - 5 eggs which hatch in 14 days - the young fledging after another 10 - 14 days. Some pipits raise up to 3 broods in a year.
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| Misc. Info |
The meadow pipit looks frail and feeble - but it is a tough little bird. It is one of a few species that you can find on the bleak uplands and chilly coasts throughout the year. It often rises from the feet with what looks to be an air of "panic" - fleeting past one way - then another - looks like it cant decide which way to go - but on the ground it is quite a "laid back" mover. In the spring it performs a flight-song - the purpose being to defend its territory from another pipit. |
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