Bird ID Course: Farmland

How to identify
Male whitethroats are sandy-grey above, with pale grey heads, pinkish-buff breasts and bright white throats. Females are duller. They are larger than lesser whitethroats, have longer tails, and sport rusty-brown edges to their wing feathers.

Did you know?
Male whitethroats arrive in the UK about 10 days earlier than females in order to set up territories before their potential partners arrive.

How to identify
A small, streaky, yellow-brown bird, the meadow pipit has pale, flesh-coloured legs, whereas the similar rock pipit has blackish legs. The tree pipit is very similar, but has thinner streaking on its flanks and a slightly sturdier bill.

Did you know?
On moorlands, meadow pipits are the most common 'foster parents' of young cuckoos. The adult cuckoo will lay a single egg in a meadow pipit's nest. After hatching, the cuckoo chick will push the other eggs or young birds out of the nest, giving its foster parents more time to concentrate on feeding their new, oversized chick.

How to identify
Linnet males have brown backs, grey heads, and pink foreheads and chests. Females are paler, streaky and lack the pink patches.

Did you know?
Linnets are named after their favourite food: seeds. Their common name comes from linseed, which is the seed of flax, while their scientific name, L. cannabina, refers to hemp.