Gunnarsson, T.G, Appleton, G.F., Gislason, H., Gardarsson, A., Atkinson, P.W. & Gill, J.A. 2007. Large-scale habitat selection, geographical distribution and lowland population size of Meadow Pipits in Iceland. Bliki 28, 19-24. (In Icelandic with an English summary).

Abstract

The Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis is the most common passerine in Iceland and widespread throughout the country. The population has been roughly estimated at 500,000-1,000,000 breeding pairs. Here we present the results of a large-scale survey of distribution and habitat selection for this species and a population estimate for lowland areas. The survey was car based and recorded Meadow Pipit presence/absence on 758 random points in lowland (below 200 m a.s.l.) Iceland. Mean size of survey points was 1.89 ha (± 1.4 SD). Details of the survey structure can be found in Gunnarsson et al. (2006). Meadow Pipits were very common throughout the country and were found on 21% (range: 17-27% of points in different basins) of all survey points. They were most common in the two W-Iceland basins where they were found on ca 27% of points. Meadow Pipits showed a significant preference for marshes and a significant avoidance of unvegetated land and agricultural land. They were more likely to occur on patches with a higher cover of hummocks (odds ratio = 1.02, P < 0.001) and higher watertables (odds ratio = -0.99, P < 0.05) (overall model fit: F1,2 = 33.1, P < 0.001). Population size of Meadow Pipits in lowland areas below 200 m a.s.l. was estimated at 545000 pairs (95% CI; 439,000 - 657,000).

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