BIRDS OF ICELAND meadow pipit, Anthus pratensis

Anthus pratensis; meadow pipits are delightful common passerines on Iceland. They can easily be recognized by their light colors and the parallel stripes on their breasts. Also quite characteristic are the courtship flying displays of the males: more or less straight up in the air, then it sings shortly followed by a direct drop to the ground. It nestles in all kinds of rugged landscapes like moorlands, heathers, dunes etc. They feed typically on insects which forces them to migrate south to the British Isles, western and southern Europe in winter.

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