The water pipit (Anthus spinoletta) is a sparrow-sized pipit. Greyish-brown above and pale below with streaks on its breast, it has a pale stripe over its eye, a slender bill and dark legs. Sexes are similar although the female has, on average, a greyer head. It breeds in the mountains of southern Europe and southern temperate Asia across to China. Although pipits occasionally catch insects in flight, they feed mainly on small invertebrates picked off the ground or vegetation, and also some plant material.
