Red-throated Pipit

Overview

The red-throated pipit (Anthus cervinus) is a small passerine bird that breeds in the far north of Europe, the Palearctic, and northern Alaska. It is a long-distance migrant that winters in Africa, South-East Asia, and western Alaska, and is occasionally seen as a vagrant in Western Europe.

Identification

• In the breeding season, adults are easily identified by their brick-red face and throat.
• In non-breeding plumage, the bird is heavily streaked brown above with whitish mantle stripes, and has black markings on a white background below.
• It has a more striped appearance on the cap, back, flanks, rump, and chest compared to the tree pipit.
• Flight is strong and direct, accompanied by a characteristic 'psii' call.

Habitat

Native to the boreal regions of Northern Europe and Asia, its breeding habitat consists of open country including mountains, marshland, and tundra. It is a long-distance migrant that winters in Africa, South-East Asia, and western Alaska.

Diet

The red-throated pipit is insectivorous but also eats seeds.

Did you know?

Nests are constructed from dry grasses and sedges, often featuring a soft lining of reindeer hair or down.