Water Pipit: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Garden Birds of Europe · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. In summer this pipit lives high up in mountain meadows, mostly between 1,400 and 2,500 m. In winter it heads down to marshes and rice fields.
2. To show off, the male rises 10 to 30 m into the sky, swoops round in a curve, then glides back to earth while singing.
3. Near snowfields, it snacks on tiny insects that live on the snow, such as springtails nicknamed glacier fleas.
4. Where the soil is poor in calcium, eggshells risk coming out thin. There, pipits pick more snails, whose shells are rich in calcium.
5. In bad weather, water pipits forage more often and fly further, sometimes gathering around the entrances of marmot burrows.

The quiz

1. Where do most water pipits spend the winter?

• On mountain peaks above 3,200 m
• In lowland marshes and rice fields (correct)
• In city centres
• Out at sea

They move down to lower ground such as wetlands, marshes and rice fields.

2. What does the male do in his display flight?

• Dives into a lake
• Hovers in silence
• Flies in circles around the female
• Climbs, arcs and glides down while singing (correct)

He rises 10 to 30 m, swoops round and glides back, singing all the while.

3. What is the glacier flea that water pipits eat near snowfields?

• A springtail (correct)
• A seed
• A fish
• A worm

The glacier flea is a springtail that lives on snow.

4. Why do pipits on calcium-poor soil eat more snails?

• Snails are easier to catch in winter
• Snails taste sweeter there
• Snail shells are rich in calcium (correct)
• Snails keep the nest dry

Calcium-rich snail shells help where low calcium could mean thin eggshells.

5. Where do water pipits sometimes forage in bad weather?

• Inside barns
• Around marmot burrows (correct)
• On frozen lakes
• Under bridges

In bad weather, foraging can be concentrated around marmot burrow entrances.

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