Fun Tree Pipit Facts For Kids

The tree pipit (Anthus Trivialis) is a very small passerine bird that belongs to the kingdom Animalia, the family Motacillidae, and the order Passeriformes. Its scientific name is Anthus Trivialis.

It is an earthy-toned bird that possesses pale underparts. Its upper parts are its characteristic feature and they sport brown-colored detailed streaks.

There is also some streaking present on their buff shaded flanks and breast feathers. This bird's appearance is quite similar to that of the meadow pipit but it can be distinguished through its shorter hind claw, heavier bill, and the thin streaking on its flank.

The calls of both these birds differ significantly as well. A tree pipit's call is high-pitched and its song is more melodious than the song of the meadow pipit.

It feeds upon plant matter like berries, invertebrates, snails, insects, fruits, and seeds. Its common name originates from its preference of habitats which are typically associated with trees.

Feeding and singing both take place on a tree and this bird dwells in grasslands, cleared woodlands, open woodlands, woodland edges, forest regions, open savannas, conifer plantations, and heathland. This bird visits the United Kingdom in summers and can be seen in western uplands particularly in high densities.

It can be seen across Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Asia.

This streaked small-sized bird feeds on the forest floor and is known to perch in trees while singing. Keep reading to discover more fun facts about tree pipit migration, breeding, calls, song, flight, and more!

If you enjoyed reading our tree pipit fun facts, you must check out our amaze-wing hummingbird surprising facts and flycatcher interesting facts!

Tree Pipit Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a tree pipit?

The tree pipit, Anthus trivialis, is a small bird that belongs to the kingdom Animalia and the genus Anthus. It breeds throughout the majority of regions of Europe and in central and temperate western Asia.

It is a common visitor to the United Kingdom in the summer season, where it can be spotted in western uplands in high densities. It is often confused with the meadow pipit.

What class of animal does a tree pipit belong to?

The tree pipit (Anthus Trivialis) belongs to the class Aves and the order Passeriformes. It has two subspecies: Anthus trivialis trivialis and Anthus trivialis haringtoni and it is commonly confused with the meadow pipit.

How many tree pipits are there in the world?

The population trend of the tree pipit (Anthus trivialis) is declining. There are 100,000,000-159,999,999 birds left of this species and their total number has decreased by 85 % in the United Kingdom. The population of this species has faced a significant decline throughout the last 25 years.

Where does a tree pipit live?

This bird can be found across sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Asia. The distribution of this species is vast and it includes India, China, Turkey, Iran, Siberia, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, and Mongolia.

The tree pipit is a summer resident in the Isle of Man, Scotland, England, and Wales, and the tree pipit (Anthus trivialis) has been observed to be a long-distance migrant.

What is a tree pipit's habitat?

This bird prefers to inhabit woodlands, particularly during the breeding season. It can be seen in habitats such as open woodlands, woodland edges, isolated tall trees, conifer plantations, grasslands with scrub, and heathlands during the breeding period.

It can be seen at elevations between 7545.9-13123.3 ft (2300-4000 m). It is seen in open savannas, coffee plantations, cleared forest areas, and montane grasslands during the non-breeding season.

The tree pipit typically inhabits forestry plantations, forest clearings, and heathland where there are bushes and trees.

They utilize trees for feeding as well as singing and they wag their tails while foraging on tree branches! Contrastingly, the meadow pipit inhabits open country, where it is particularly prevalent in upland regions, and has not been observed to wag its tail.

Who do tree pipits live with?

These birds of the family Motacillidae are known to live together in groups known as flocks.

How long does a tree pipit live?

The life expectancy of the tree pipit (Anthus Trivialis) is about nine years.

How do they reproduce?

These birds breed in areas like plantations, forest edges, scrubs, and open woodlands. The nest is built by the female pipit and it is well concealed under thick vegetation. The nest is cup-shaped and is constructed with fine plant material, fry grass, moss, and hair.

The female lays four to eight eggs in this nest. The eggs possess dark-colored markings and are incubated for a period of 12-14 days by the female. The chicks are fed by both parents.

The chicks consume insects and caterpillars readily. They take 12-14 days to fledge after hatching. There is not much information available about the appearance of the chicks.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the tree pipit (Anthus Trivialis) is Least Concern according to the IUCN. A number of these birds are summer residents in England, Wales, the Isle of Man, and Scotland, where the species possesses a 'Red Status' due to recent declines in its population here.

Tree Pipit Fun Facts

What do tree pipits look like?

These wagtails are quite petite and they range between 5.5-5.9 in (14-15 cm) in length. They are earthy-toned birds that have pale underparts.

Their white-colored belly possesses black-colored markings and is streaked brown too. Their upperparts are their special feature as they are streaked in a brown color.

There is also some streaking present on their buff-hued flanks and breast feathers. The wings of these birds are fairly pointed. Their appearance resembles that of the meadow pipit but these two birds can be differentiated easily through the presence of a shorter hind claw, a heavier bill, and thin streaking on the flank.

The calls of both these birds differ significantly as well. Meadow pipits also lack the buff-toned breast and face features that are prevalent in the appearance of tree pipits.

How cute are they?

Tree pipit (Anthus trivialis) birds are adorable and charming birds that look very cute and sing melodious songs. Tree pipit identification is also quite easy due to this bird's characteristic features. This tiny bird can be identified by its earthy-shaded breast, the detailed streaking on its flanks, its white-colored pale belly with black markings, and its wedge-shaped bill.

How do they communicate?

The tree pipit (Anthus trivialis) is quite a vocal bird species. Its call is quite strong, high-pitched, and buzzy. The call of this bird sounds like 'tzzzz'. However, its song is more melodious than the song of the meadow pipit. The call of the meadow pipit is quite weak.

How big is a tree pipit?

The tree pipit, Anthus trivialis, ranges between 5.5-5.9 in (14-15 cm) in length. They are slightly smaller than fox sparrows!

How fast can a tree pipit fly?

There is not much data available about the speed of these birds. However, we do know that birds of this species fly a short distance above a tree and then swoop down on their parachute wings. These birds perch on tall trees when they are singing and also descend to a tree after a long flight.

How much does a tree pipit weigh?

Data shows that the adult tree pipit, Anthus trivialis, weighs between the range of 0.7-0.8 oz (20-25 g). Adult birds of this species are 10 times heavier than the rufous hummingbird.

What are their male and female names of the species?

A tree pipit male is called a 'cock' and a tree pipit female is called a 'hen'.

What would you call a baby tree pipit?

A tree pipit baby is called a chick.

What do they eat?

Wagtails of this species feed upon fruits, seeds, invertebrates, spiders, insects, and snails. These birds can be brood parasitized by the famous cuckoo bird.

Are they dangerous?

No, the tree pipit bird is not at all dangerous. However, as they are migratory, it wouldn't be advisable to keep this bird species as a pet.

Would they make a good pet?

There is no data available about the tree pipit (Anthus trivialis) being kept as a pet. They are not suitable pets as they are migratory birds.

Did you know...

The flight muscles of this species are present in between its breast and belly!

Birds of this species are known to form small flocks during migration.

These pipits are known to wag their tails while searching for food! For this reason, they can also be described as wagtails. Meadow pipits are not known to exhibit such behavior.

All species of pipits resemble each other and can be differentiated mainly by their voice and their resident habitat preferences.

Do tree pipits nest on the ground?

Yes, the Anthus trivialis (tree pipit) makes nests on the ground into which it lays about four to eight eggs.

Do tree pipits flock?

Yes, tree pipit birds live together in groups that are known as flocks.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our meadow pipit surprising facts and tawny pipit interesting facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable bird coloring pages.