Tree pipit
Adult |
Description of the family
Motacillidae are small to medium-sized (11-24 cm) passerines with long tails and long-toed legs with long nails. Their plumage is most often discreet and cryptic, brown and streaked for example. A few species exhibit more showy colors such as black and white, or yellow or orange on the underparts.
With a few rare exceptions, they are birds of open grassy habitats, often close to water. Most of their activity is terrestrial.
They are found on all continents, but they are mostly from the Old World.
Description identification
Pipits are small, brown, striped land birds. Similar sexes. If it is easy to observe it in flight, the plumage of the tree pipit, mottled brown above, pale striped below, ensures good camouflage when it evolves on the ground in the vegetation. Males and females are similar. They both present a series of dark, very distinct spots, which follow one another on the chest and fade on the flanks in fine flames.
The etymological translation of the scientific name is noddy (Anthus) vulgar (trivialis)