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Birds

Birds

Common name Meadow pipit
Scientific name Anthus pratensis
Type Shrubland birds
Status Wintering

Bird of small size (about 15 cm or 6 in) and inconspicuous due to its earthy and discreet colouring. Brown upperparts with light greenish tones and dark streaks. Very striped dirty white underparts. Orange or cream flanks. Rounded wings and long tail with white outer feathers. Black moustachial stripe and white throat. Thin bill and legs, with long straight posterior nail. Very terrestrial habits (it is usually observed on the ground).

Habitats

Wetlands

Where it lives

Species of open areas. Present in pastures, humid meadows, fields, sowings and irrigations.

How it lives

Wintering species in Malaga and also present during its migration. In the peninsula the Meadow Pipit breeds in the Bay of Biscay. It makes two annual layings of 4 to 6 eggs from April. Nest on the ground. Insectivore that complements its feeding with seeds in winter. This bird usually forages by pecking on the ground in groups.

Where it can be seen in Malaga

Wintering species very frequent and common in the province, present during the winter in all kinds of wet meadows and low bearing grasslands, which includes gardens and golf courses, for example. It can be watched along the coastal zone, low Axarquía and inland regions such as Antequera, Guadalteba or northeastern. In the Great Path it is present in stages 2, 4, 9 to 12, 17, 18, 20, 23 and 26.

Curious facts

The most common of the pipits is a bird of meadows and lowlands that is characterized by walking quietly among the grass looking for insects. In Malaga it is known as "pasita" or "pancita". Pipits adopt their Latin name from Anthus, son of Autonous and Hippodamia, caretakers of horses, and that was turned into a bird tied to the places where the horses of their parents grazed.

Similar birds
Routes where it can be observed
Present
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wintering Summer Resident Migration
Audios