Tree Pipit

This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Anthus trivialis

Malay Name: Apit-apit Pokok Barat

Chinese Name: 林鹨

Range: Breeds throughout Eurasia, wintering in India, the Middle East, and Africa.

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: trivialis, haringtoni.

Size: 15-16.5 cm

Identification: Underparts: Well marked narrow black streaks across the chest/breast on a warm buff base. Streaks do not extend strongly onto the flanks. Upperparts: warm buff/brown, with dark centred feathers giving a well marked, but not strongly contrasting, appearance. A well marked row of greater primary coverts were slightly darker centred and paler fringed than surrounding feathers, producing a clear (but not bold) wing bar.

Habitat: Open woodland, scrub and grass.

Behaviour/Ecology: Spends most time walking through long grass foraging for invertebrates with a horizontal gait and occasionally giving gentle tail pumps (which is also a feature of Olive-backed Pipit). Flies with a strong bounding flight into mid-canopy of trees where it would perch, rest and preen before returning to feeding on the ground.

Local Status: Vagrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2018

Past accepted records in our database:

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

References:

BirdLife International. (2018). Anthus trivialis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22718546A131985523.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Tyler, S. (2020). Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis), version 1.0. In del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D. A., & de Juana, E. (Eds.), Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.trepip.01