Tree Pipit

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Menton, France • September, 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Tree Pipit
Latin: Anthus trivialis
Other: Pipit des Arbres
Family: Motacillidae • Pipits

A presumed Tree Pipit during migration season in the Autumn. There's quite an art to differentiating Tree Pipits from their rather similar-looking cousins the Meadow Pipits. One that I do not claim yet to have mastered. However the principal differences are that the Tree Pipit has a whiter supercilium (mark above the eye), with a whitish dot around where his ear might be. And the Meadow Pipit has a much more strongly marked back - the Tree Pipit's back looks dull in comparison. They both have pinkish legs, unlike the Water Pipit which has dark legs.