The meadow pipit is a key upland species and important prey bird, but faces welfare challenges from habitat changes in both upland moorland and lowland farmland.
Meadow pipits experience welfare challenges from both direct and indirect threats. As cuckoo hosts, their nests are parasitised, leading to total brood failure. In lowland areas, intensive grass management reduces the invertebrate prey they depend on. In upland areas, changes to grazing regimes and heather burning affect habitat quality. Maintaining diverse upland habitats with varied vegetation structure is key to meadow pipit welfare.