Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosus

The European rock pipit, or simply rock pipit, is a species of small passerine bird that breeds in western Europe on rocky coasts. It has streaked greyish-brown upperparts and buff underparts, and is similar in appearance to other European pipits. There are two subspecies, of which the nominate is non-migratory, and the Fennoscandian one is migratory, wintering in shoreline habitats further west and south in Europe. The European rock pipit is territorial at least in the breeding season, and year-round where it is resident. Males will sometimes enter an adjacent territory to assist the resident in repelling an intruder, behaviour only otherwise known from the African fiddler crab. Source
Where it is now
In the last 8 weeks this bird was recorded 2,074 times across 22 areas (each area is a 5 degree square).
See the Rock Pipit on the live map
Movement and weather
Over the weeks it was present in the past year, its centre in Europe ranged from 58°N in October to 67°N in May, about 1,100 km apart.
Arrival dates
The week it was first heard regularly in each region, after at least six weeks away. Dates differ from south to north, so a region has a range.
| Region | First arrival | Last arrival | Typical peak | Areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 3 August 2026 | 28 September 2026 | 14 September 2026 | 2 |
Figures are effort corrected and come from automatic sound identification, which makes mistakes. How this is measured and how it compares with human observers.