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24

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) Alternate name(s): "Pied Wagtail", "Water Wagtail" Size: 16.5-19 cm; wing span 25-30 cm Weight: 25-30 g

Oman: Family Group 24 Family Group 24 Table Grey Wagtail White Wagtail House Sparrow Indian Silverbill Striolated Bunting Black-crowned Sparrow Lark Tree Pipit Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds of Oman home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description White Wagtails are one of the larger wagtail species. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male White Wagtails in breeding plumage have a black crown and nape and a prominent black "bib", which contrast with the white frons and sides of the head. The rest of the front is light-grey. The wing coverts are grey, while the flight feathers are darker grey with light-grey edge lining. The tail is black. Female White Wagtails and males in non-breeding plumage are grey where breeding males are black. The irises of both sexes are black. The bill, legs and feet are grey. Juvenile and immature White Wagtails have duller colours than adults, without a prominent facial mask.

Taxonomy, classification See White Wagtail at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat 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 . The global distribution of the White Wagtail is available HERE . 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, nominate race "alba" is found basically all over Europe and in parts of the Middle East and eastern Africa. Some, especially from the northern parts of their range, will migrate to the South in harsh winters. In Oman we have found them on the North coast.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "alba" White Wagtails, nominate race "alba", were spotted by us on the Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, in the timeframe November 2009 to March 2010. White Wagtails, nominate race "alba", were also observed in Europe. Race "leucopsis" A White Wagtail, race "leucopsis"(?), was reported to us from Australia.

Photos

Race "alba"

ADULT

MALE

BREEDING

Frontal view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Lateral view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage strutting in the typical wagtail fashion
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Lateral view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage checking the sky above
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Near-dorsal view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Dorsal view of a male White Wagtail in breeding plumage looking sideways
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female White Wagtail
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Lateral view of a female White Wagtail
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, December 2009]

Near-dorsal view of a female White Wagtail after shaking out its plumage

Dorsal view of a female White Wagtail on its little pedestal, looking back towards the observer
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

Dorsal view of a female White Wagtail on its little pedestal
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, November 2009]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of a juvenile male White Wagtail

Near-lateral view of a juvenile male White Wagtail looking towards the observer
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Close-up lateral view of a juvenile male White Wagtail looking towards the observer
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Close-up lateral view of a juvenile male White Wagtail
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile male White Wagtail strutting across a lawn
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Additional information

More photos of White Wagtails, nominate race "alba", were taken in Europe.

Behaviour

We have observed a female White Wagtail that was very territorial. Both, other White Wagtails and Grey Wagtails, were vigorously chased away.

Lateral view of a female White Wagtail taking a bath
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, December 2009]

Food, Diet

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.

Gotcha! Lateral view of a female White Wagtail with its catch
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, December 2009]

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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Sun, 4 June 2023, 2:23 +00:00