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24

White Wagtail

(Motacilla alba)
Alternate name(s): "Pied Wagtail", "Water Wagtail"
German name(s): "Bachstelze"

Size: 16.5-19 cm; wing span 25-30 cm
Weight: 25-30 g
Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See White Wagtail at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

Race "alba"

ADULT

BREEDING

MALE

Frontal view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Bergen, Norway, May 2016]

Near-frontal view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage, right, with a juvenile on the left
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]

Near-frontal view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, June 2015]

Near-lateral view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 26 March 2017 (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, Masovia, Poland, March 2017]

Near-lateral view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, June 2015]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a preening male White Wagtail in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, June 2015]

Close-up lateral view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage on the ground (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Santa Justa, Coruche, Portugal, June 2020]

Lateral view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage on the ground (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, February 2020]

Lateral view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage on the ground (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vilarelhos, Alfandega da Fe, Alto Tras-os-Montes, Norte, Portugal, May 2018]

Lateral view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage on the ground (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Near-dorsal view of a male White Wagtail, left, leaving behind two juveniles, right, to fight over a wasp
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]

Dorsal view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage on the ground (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Lateral view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Herdade do Esporao, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]

Size comparison of a White Wagtail in breeding plumage and #3139 (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2019]

FEMALE

Close-up near-lateral view of a female White Wagtail; note the smooth transition from grey to black near the top of the head
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Oslo airport, Oslo, Norway, June 2018]

Lateral view of a female(?) White Wagtail, left, with a juvenile, right (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]

Lateral view of a female White Wagtail (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Ovcarsko-Kablarski Canyon, near Cacak, Serbia, October 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a female White Wagtail in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, December 2019]

NON-BREEDING

Frontal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]

Frontal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia river, Santa Justa, Coruche, Portugal, November 2021]

Near-lateral view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, October 2021]

Close-up lateral view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Alhos Vedros, Moita, Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2020]

Lateral view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2019]

Lateral view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)

Near-dorsal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Alhos Vedros, Moita, Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage with its tail prominently cocked (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, October 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Near-dorsal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Near Oslo airport, Oslo, Norway, June 2018]

Dorsal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2021]

Dorsal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Dorsal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Alhos Vedros, Moita, Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2020]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a juvenile White Wagtail (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]

Frontal view of a juvenile White Wagtail spreading its wings (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile White Wagtail (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]

Near-frontal view of a resting juvenile White Wagtail (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile White Wagtail (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile White Wagtail (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Lake Ros, Masurias, Poland, August 2014]

Lateral view of a juvenile White Wagtail; note the buff wash on the ear coverts (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2018]

Lateral view of a juvenile White Wagtail taking off (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, July 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile White Wagtail (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2019]

Race "yarrellii"

This race is also called the "Pied Wagtail".

ADULT

MALE

BREEDING

Near-lateral view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage; note the very dark appearance of race "yarrellii"
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2023]

Lateral view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2023]

Near-dorsal view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2023]

Sex unknown

NON-BREEDING

Frontal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage on the ground (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2020]

Lateral view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Land's End, Cornwall, England, September 2019]

Lateral view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage on the ground (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2020]

Lateral view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, December 2019]

Lateral view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage on the ground (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2020]

Food, Diet

Like all Motacilla wagtails known to us, White Wagtails are insectivores.

Lateral view of a White Wagtail with its catch, a caterpillar (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, December 2019]

Lateral view of a juvenile White Wagtail with prey, a flying insect (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Evora, Portugal, July 2019]

Near-lateral view of a male White Wagtail with food for its brood (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River near Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a White Wagtail in non-breeding plumage with its prey, a flying insect (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, October 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a White Wagtail with its prey, a spider (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Divor river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2021]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

whitwag_dw_20190407.m4a alba (Poland) Contact call(?) © DW
whitwag_jp_20200117.m4a alba (Portugal) Contact calls(?) © JP
whitwag_dw_20190715.m4a alba (Poland) Contact calls(?) © DW
whitwag_dw_20190715_2.m4a alba (Poland) Contact calls(?) © DW
whitwag_dw_20170326.m4a alba (Poland) Contact calls(?); male © DW
whitwag_dw_20200726.m4a alba (Poland) Alarm calls (cat) © DW

More White Wagtail sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

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.

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