The meadow pipit is a small, long tailed passerine of the genus Anthus, which is made up of 42 separate species of pipit. Pipits and Wagtails share the same family with species found worldwide bar Antarctica. The meadow pipit is a bird favouring open countryside regions and is found throughout Europe and areas of southwestern Asia.
Being a predominantly ground dwelling bird, restricted in the main to saltmarshes, moors, heaths and agricultural land, the plumage of the meadow pipit is cryptic, which means it is patterned in such a way so as to to blend in with the surroundings of its natural habitat.
Adult meadow pipits are an earthy brown or olive brown on the upperparts with a paler buff colouration to the bird’s underparts and dark brown or black streaks across the head, shoulders, back, breast and flanks. The tertials and upperwing coverts are edged in white, forming two distinctive white wing bars and the tail is dark brown with prominent white edges across the outer feathers. The underwing is a pale buff or white and a pale ring surrounds the blackish brown of the iris of the eye. The lower cheek (malar area) contains a thin black stripe and the medium sized, slim, bill is a dark to yellowish brown in colour.
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