Black/White Bird from London, UK (3 Viewers)

[timorrill]

I've just moved to London, and I apologize for not knowing the birds here!

Could someone help me identify this small black/white bird?

Thank you!

 

[Dougie Preston]

Pied Wagtail mate.

 

[Dave Hall]

Hi Your bird is a male Pied Wagtail

 

[RegTelescope]

Without meaning to sound patronising in any way, it goes to show that a bird most of us take for granted can still be new and exciting to somebody else.

 

[Cristian Mihai]

Typical male Pied Wagtail.

 

[njlarsen]

Get your hands on the Collins bird book soon, it is always a treat to be somewhere new, but a lot better when you can Id the birds!

Niels

 

[Dave B Smith]

That was one of the first birds we saw when we visited London earlier this year. Fantastic looking fellow!

 

[matthall]

Pied Wagtail
Beautiful Bird , Dont You Think ?

 

[Robin Pearson]

Are there any wagtails in the States?

Very soon you will encounter a larger black and white bird, the magpie, not so attractive.

 

[Wayland]

Make sure you pay a visit to the London Wetland Centre, a good place to tick a few of your list.

 

[Binocularface]

I've just moved to London, and I apologize for not knowing the birds here!

Could someone help me identify this small black/white bird?

Thank you!

Hi Timorrill,

As others have said, your bird is an adult male Pied Wagtail. If you follow the BOU taxonomic classification then it is Motacilla alba yarrelii which is a sub-species of White Wagtail Motacilla alba. We do get decent numbers of the nominate sub-species of White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba passing through the UK.

For comparison this link shows a nominate White Wagtail (note sharp demarcation and contrast between black nape and paler grey mantle, also very clean flanks):
http://www.scillybirding.co.uk/images/WhiteWag.jpg

Regards
Tristan

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Are there any wagtails in the States?

Barely.

Eastern yellow wag breeds in far western Alaska and occasionally shows up as a vagrant on the west coast of the lower 48. White wag is a vagrant only, even in Alaska.

 

[McMadd]

Very soon you will encounter a larger black and white bird, the magpie, not so attractive.

Hmm...if it was a vagrant I'd like to hear what you'd think of it? Have a proper look at one one day...

McMadd

 

[Gill Osborne]

Hmm...if it was a vagrant I'd like to hear what you'd think of it? Have a proper look at one one day...

Exactly! Magpies and a lot of other common birds get looked down upon because they're not hard to find but upon closer inspection are absolutely stunning birds! :t:

 

[lockbreeze926]

Are there any wagtails in the States?

No, but there was a vagrant in Florida a few months back that (understandably) caused a mighty fuss (M.a. alba, that one)

 

[Frenchy]

Are there any wagtails in the States?

Very soon you will encounter a larger black and white bird, the magpie, not so attractive.

Black and white? Are you sure... http://www.ruchet.com/pie-bavarde.html

 

[timwootton]

Magpies are truly beautiful birds and, as Frenchy's brilliant link shows, are far from 'just black and white'. We just don't get them up here and I miss the staccato crackle and flash of colour - miss them dearly!

 

[Robin Pearson]

Dear oh dear, a few misplaced words provokes a storm of criticism. First of all, I do know magpies are not merely 'black and white' but to the casual observer that is what they look like. Secondly they may appear attractive but their habits are not, how many have witnessed a group ganging up on a lone individual and pecking it to death, I certainly have, let alone what they do to other birds and their chicks and eggs etc. If you're OK with that fair enough, but I'm not their greatest fan, live and let live though.

 

[Mike Feely]

Secondly they may appear attractive but their habits are not, how many have witnessed a group ganging up on a lone individual and pecking it to death, I certainly have, let alone what they do to other birds and their chicks and eggs etc. If you're OK with that fair enough, but I'm not their greatest fan, live and let live though.

OK, they're no angels, but are Goshawks (which most people would "admire" as a magnificent creature)?

You've still got to take you're hat off to Magpies (and all Crows) intelligence and tenacity.

 

[Frenchy]

Dear oh dear, a few misplaced words provokes a storm of criticism. First of all, I do know magpies are not merely 'black and white' but to the casual observer that is what they look like. Secondly they may appear attractive but their habits are not, how many have witnessed a group ganging up on a lone individual and pecking it to death, I certainly have, let alone what they do to other birds and their chicks and eggs etc. If you're OK with that fair enough, but I'm not their greatest fan, live and let live though.

Or how about a family of peregrines knocking a poor helpless greenshank around the sky for ten minutes until its eventually beaten into an estuary and drowns. Not pretty. Or a snow leopard playing with some unfortunate blue sheep lamb for its entertainment before finally suffocating it. Or one of a million other examples when one species is not all that pleasant to another before finally killing it. Just because you can see magpies doing their stuff from the comfort of your armchair, does not mean that all of those wonderful predators you see on Attenborough's programs are not just as mean and nasty. They just have the good grace to be a bit rarer and do it elsewhere.

Save the magpie.

Kill the domestic cat.