Water pipit ID- A study of 4 october ringed birds at Ottenby compared with a rock pipit!
Cover image: 2 water pipits (Anthus spinoletta).
All pictures ©Ottenby bird observatory. All of the water pipits (Anthus spinoletta) were age as 1cy birds, mainly because of no moult limits in the greater coverts (which was really hard to see even in the hand). Only one bird had moulted one inner greater covert (if I mind right). All birds (including the rock pipit, Anthus petrosus, 2cy+ bird) were ringed at 31 october 2019.
More reading about identification of water-/rock pipits can be found in Reino Anderssons excellent paper from 2012 (in Swedish): http://privat.bahnhof.se/wb198578/dokument/Andersson%20_primo%20_prt.pdf
Calls: The calls of water- and rock pipits is very similar to each others, and probably impossible to seperate in field. Although, some say that water pipit calls sound a little bit more sharp. Article about flight call identification, using sonograms: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325853846_Flight_call_identification_of_Rock_Pipit_and_Water_Pipit
Water pipit flight calls: https://www.xeno-canto.org/443345
Rock pipit flight calls: https://www.xeno-canto.org/447843
Behaviour: According to new unreleased studies (R.Andersson) there´s only water pipits that regularly moves the rear section up and down with smooth small motions such as grey wagtail etc. (like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j8nwmmQ5VQ). Rock pipit tends to whip their tail up and down, like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJmc88kv_hc.
Hope you got use of the article! Let´s get out and find some water pipits 🙂
Thanks to Ottenby bird observatory for letting me use their photolab pictures!
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