Water Pipit, Anthus spinoletta, is a species of passerine bird in the wagtail and pipit family found in wetland, unvegetated or sparsely vegetated land and river and lake ecosystems. It has a fragmented breeding distribution in mountainous areas of central and southern Europe. The species breeds on alpine pastures and high-lying mountain meadows with short grassland and scattered rocks, bushes or trees, usually with some wet areas and often on mountain slopes. In the winter it is found on coastal saltings, lagoons, marshes, grassy edges of lakes and rivers, sewage farms, watercress farms, rice fields and other irrigated cultivation (European Red List 2015).

Anthus spinoletta has a breeding population size of 391000-705000 pairs and a breeding range size of 319000 square kilometres in the EU27. The breeding population trend in the EU27 is Unknown in the short term and Unknown in the long term.

The EU population status for Anthus spinoletta is Unknown, as the data reported were not sufficient to assess the population status of the species.