Bird ID help

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:55 pm

I was at a coastal path on East coast of Co Down, and saw this. I saw it fluttering its wings fast, hovering over coastal vegetation and landed and I took this, can anyone ID it?

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 8:42 pm

Having a look, is it a meadow pipit?

Gibster · Post by **Gibster** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:39 pm

Hi Dave,

yes your bird is a Meadow Pipit. Plumage-wise it can be quite tricky to tell Meadow from Tree Pipit depending on angle of light, posture of bird etc. But the utterly diagnostic clinching feature in your pic is the length and shape of the hindclaw (it's true, I kid you not folks!) Short and arched in Tree Pipit, very long and much straighter in Meadow Pipit. Just check the hindclaws on your bird!

Cheers,

Gibster.

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:12 pm

Thanks Gibster. That's the first thing I noticed when I got the image, its long hind claws, never seen a bird with such long ones like that

Bird ID help

Bird ID help

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Re: Bird ID help

Re: Bird ID help