Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)Where and when to see it in the UK
Resident · reporting peaks October · Wagtails and Pipits · BOU category AF
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
Meadow Pipit has been recorded in 2,858 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (96%) in records to 2026. Resident in the UK. Its strongest squares are in England, Scotland and Wales. Reporting peaks in October.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 39% or more of visits
- High
- 19% to 39%
- Moderate
- 8% to 19%
- Low
- under 8%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41% | 13% | Low |
| February | 38% | 12% | Low |
| March | 55% | 18% | Very high |
| April | 55% | 18% | Very high |
| May | 46% | 15% | Very high |
| June | 46% | 15% | Very high |
| July | 39% | 13% | Very high |
| August | 35% | 11% | Very high |
| September | 83% | 27% | Very high |
| October | 100% | 32% | Very high |
| November | 68% | 22% | Very high |
| December | 45% | 15% | High |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in October
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| H13 | Fermanagh and Omagh, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| HU68 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HY32 | Orkney Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HY41 | Orkney Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HZ26 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| J22 | Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| J32 | Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| J34 | Newry, Mourne and Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| J38 | Antrim and Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| J47 | Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |