Latin name - Anthus petrosus

Rock pipits can be seen all around the coast of Devon and Cornwall and it is easy to confuse it with the similar Meadow pipit. However they are bigger and darker with a longer bill and darker legs. The sexes are the same with olive-brown upper-parts and whitish, but heavily streaked with dark, under-parts. They can often be seen taking off from rocks to indulge in aerial song before landing back on the rocks again. It hunts for food along the shoreline usually amongst boulder scree and takes insects, beetles, small shellfish and small fish.