Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis) is a sparrow-sized bird, 14 to 16 cm long. On the back it is olive-gray brown with dark longitudinal stripes, and on the underside it is light. The breast and flanks of its ornate coloration are marked with black lines and transition sharply to a white belly. The black lines on its flanks are usually noticeably finer and thinner than the pronounced, bold stripes on the chest. The pink bill with a dark tip and upper part is relatively strong. The spur-like claw on the hind toe of its gray-reddish legs is relatively long. The Tree Pipit marks its territory with its characteristic territorial song, during which it rises from the treetop, then, with wings spread stiffly and dangling legs, it descends toward the top of another tree. In fact, it is by this behavior that we can most easily distinguish it from similar bird species.
The Tree Pipit is a migratory bird that returns in spring from Africa, where it spends the winter. In our country it nests in May and June. It weaves a nest from dry grasses and roots, hides it among tufts of grass on the ground, and lines it with soft feathers and fur. It has one to two broods per year, depending on environmental conditions, mainly on the amount of available food. The young leave the nest soon after they hatch. The Tree Pipit is active during the day. Then it sings and searches for food, mainly insects, spiders, centipedes, earthworms, and other small invertebrates. It lives on the forest edge in open landscapes, where meadows and cultivated land intertwine with shrubs and forests. In autumn Tree Pipits begin to gather into flocks and fly together to Africa.
It is estimated that in Europe, which accounts for less than half of its breeding range, more than 27,000,000 pairs nest. Although its populations in some countries have declined somewhat, the Tree Pipit is not endangered. This is helped by the fact that its habitat is widely distributed and not threatened.
