Appearance:

Dark (or brownish) legs and dark bill (in summer). Diffuse, but heavy streaking below, gives underparts a smoky appearance. The whole bird appears darker than other pipits. Outer tail feathers greyish white. Underside of wings dark. Bill noticeably longer and heavier than in Meadow Pipit. Breeding plumage has less streaked underparts, lighter grey upperparts and pink tinge to chest. Very similar to Water Pipit.

Sound:

Song very similar to Meadow Pipit but much louder. Starting notes often with masked double accents, giving it a hammering tone. Terminal trill stronger and more pronounced. Flight call a very sibilant, rippling "weesst", more drawn than in Meadow Pipit. Usually given as clearly separated single calls, but sometimes in quick successions like M. Pipit. Alarm call a sharp "tseet". All sounds very similar to Water Pipit.

Song, contact call, song:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Sounds:Recorded by Michele Peron, Jarek Matusiek,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license

Appearance:

In all plumages recognized by its long tail, call, and choice of habitat (reeds). Male unmistakable, with bluish grey head, yellow bill and black drooping moustache. Females and juveniles mostly plain, yellow-brown with whitish underparts and no moustache. Young females with dark bill, young males with yellow bill and black lore. Juveniles with black patch on back and black outer tail feathers. Flight whirring and undulated. Sometimes fans tail in flight with twisting motions.

Sound:

More often heard than seen. Usually identified by contact call; a ringing, explosive "tschin" with a characteristic "dirty" timbre. Also a hard and very short "pit", often mixed with the previous. Song a primitive, 3-syllable phrase, consisting of contact call-like sounds.

Contact call:

Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-photo:sussexbirder, Licence,Link.