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White Wagtail
(Motacilla alba)
: "Pied Wagtail", "Water Wagtail"
Size: 18-20 cm
Weight: 25-30 g
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
The plumage of White
Wagtails is dimorphic,
i.e. males
and females are different.
Both males
and females change their
plumage with the seasons; for details see a field guide.
In Australia usually only non-breeding birds are found.
They have an all black, white and grey morphology, with a white
head, white throat, black chest band, otherwise grey chest and
white belly, vent and undertail coverts. The nape of the neck
(in males
also the crown) is grey to black, the rest of the back
is grey. The wing feathers are black, with white edge lining.
The eyes have dark irises. The slender, straight bill is black; the
legs and feet are also black.
Juveniles have a dusky front and a grey back.
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Twitcher's tip |
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The plumages of
all members of the Motacilla family
of wagtails vary between the sexes, but also with season and age.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See White
Wagtail at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the White Wagtail is available
HERE
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Altogether, the about 10 currently recognized races of White
Wagtails have a wide-spanning range. They occur basically all
over Europe
and in large parts of Asia, but they are very mobile and vagrant
birds have been found farther South, through South-east Asia to
Australia.
Most of Asia to the North of the Himalaya is summer range;
South-east Asia, the Indian subcontinent, all of
Arabia
and parts of the Middle East are winter range, while in
southern/central/western Europe and parts of Korea and Japan
White Wagtails can be found all year round.
White Wagtails are listed as rare vagrants to Australia. There
are only a few confirmed sightings, mostly along the North-West
coast of the continent, but also on the West coast (with one
exception, near Darwin, NT, all in WA) and even in the Melbourne,
VIC, area.
In Australia White Wagtails have so far only been reported in
coastal areas.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
L. George reports spotting a White Wagtail at Point Samson, near
Karratha, WA, in October 2013.
K. Dorey reports spotting a White Wagtail on the
eastern tip of Australia, at Midgen Flat, Broken Head, Byron Bay,
NSW, in December 2013.
We have previously spotted White Wagtails in Oman.
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Photos |
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More photos of White Wagtails were taken by us in Oman and in Europe.
Race "leucopsis"(?)
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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NON-BREEDING |
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Near-frontal view of a non-breeding male White Wagtail (photo
courtesy of L. George)
[Point Samson, WA, October 2013]
Lateral view of a non-breeding male White Wagtail (photo courtesy
of L. George)
[Point Samson, WA, October 2013]
Lateral view of a non-breeding male White Wagtail, slightly different
posture (photo
courtesy of L. George)
[Point Samson, WA, October 2013]
Near-dorsal view of a non-breeding male White Wagtail (photo courtesy
of L. George)
[Point Samson, WA, October 2013]
Social behaviour: Territorial |
Mobility: Vagrant |
Elementary unit: Solitary/pair |
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Food, Diet |
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Like all other wagtails known to us, White Wagtails are insect hunters.
They take their prey from the ground or the surface of fresh water.
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Call(s)/Song |
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For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own; are welcome.
More White Wagtail sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
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These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.