Olive-backed Pipit at Mytilene Castle – a Mega for Lesvos and for Greece

An Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) was recently observed in the Mytilene castle–Tsamakia area by Ioanna Emanouillidou, turning an already classic urban birding spot into the scene of one of the rarest passerine records for Greece.

Subject to acceptance by the Hellenic Rarities Committee, this bird is almost certainly the first record for Lesvos and only the third for Greece, underlining both the rarity of the species in the country and the importance of careful coverage of small urban green spaces.

A traveller from the forests of Asia

Olive-backed Pipit breeds from the Himalayas and central China north through Siberia into north-eastern European Russia, wintering mainly in South and Southeast Asia. It is a classic long-distance migrant and a scarce vagrant to western Europe, where small numbers now appear each autumn in places such as Britain, Iberia and the Mediterranean

In the field it recalls Tree Pipit but shows:

• a more olive-toned, less streaked back

• a strong, two-tone supercilium with a dark line above it

• bold, triangular breast streaking on a buff background

• two clear wingbars on the greater and median coverts

These features, captured well in photos from Mytilene, rule out the more familiar Tree, Meadow or Red-throated Pipits.

Olive-backed Pipit in Greece – a very short (and very new) history

Until very recently, Olive-backed Pipit was treated as a purely hypothetical bird for Greece.

The accepted story really starts in 2024:

• First national record – Ioannina suburban forest, Epirus (February 2024)
  Two Olive-backed Pipits were found in the peri-urban forest above Ioannina on 2 February 2024 and well documented with photographs and eBird checklists. 

• Second national record – Antikythira (Autumn 2024)
  During autumn fieldwork at Antikythera Bird Observatory, an Olive-backed Pipit was recorded on the island. The Hellenic Ornithological Society highlighted it in a press release as the second record for Greece

Join Aegean Birding in Lesvos

At Aegean Birding we love these stories, because they show exactly why Lesvos is such a special island for migration watching: anything can happen, anywhere, on any day.

Whether you’re interested in rare pipits, spring migration along the Kalloni Gulf, or relaxed urban birding around Mytilene, we can help you get the most from your visit.

Get in touch to plan your next birding trip to Lesvos – and maybe you’ll be the one to find the island’s next first!

https://www.aegeanbirding.gr/lesvos-birdwatching

Photo by Ioanna Emanouillidou