THE TREE-PIPIT. 



177 



Tree-Pipit (Anthus t. trivialis). 

 Meadow-Pipit (Anthus pratentis). 



DESCRIPTION. Adult male and female. Winter. Crown, nape, 

 mantle and back olive or buffish-brown, streaked black-brown ; 

 rump and upper tail-coverts same but almost uniform with very 

 fine indistinct streaks ; superciliary stripe yellowish-buff ; ear- 

 coverts buff and brown ; chin pale buff ; fairly distinct black- 

 brown moustachial stripes ; sides of throat, breast and flanks 

 yellowish-buff, streaked black-brown, but centre of throat uniform 

 buff ; centre of lower-breast and belly white ; under tail-coverts 

 pale buff ; axillaries dusky-grey fringed very pale buff ; tail and 

 wings as in A. pratensis. This plumage is acquired by complete 

 moult in Aug. -Sept. Summer. A moult takes place from Jan. 

 to March to same extent as in A. pratensis, and new plumage is 

 like winter. In worn plumage dark markings of upper- and under- 

 parts are accentuated and throat, breast, and flanks less buff. 



Nestling. Down dark smoke-grey, fairly long and plentiful ; 

 distribution, inner and outer supra-orbital, occipital, spinal, 

 humeral, ulnar, femoral, crural and one or two filaments on ventral. 

 Mouth, inside orange, edges and spurs of tongue and barbs on palate 

 yellow ; externally flanges pale yellow. No spots. 



Juvenile. Resembling adult but more buff not so olive and 

 more prominently streaked on upper-parts, flanks with only a few 

 very fine dark streaks ; breast, flanks and under tail-coverts 

 washed with a warmer (not so yellowish) buff as adult. 



First winter. Like adult. The juvenile body -feathers, lesser 

 and median wing-coverts, some inner greater coverts and innermost 

 secondaries and occasionally central pair of tail-feathers are moulted 

 July-Sept., but not primary-coverts nor rest of greater coverts, 

 wings and tail. N.B. Some examples retain a number of juvenile 

 feathers until they reach winter- quarters. First summer. Like 

 adult and moult same. 



Measurements and structure. $ wing 84-90 mm., tail 55-65, 



