- Motacilla cinerea
Identification
Length 17-20 cm, weight 14-22 g
- A long-tailed wagtail, blue-grey above, mainly yellow below
- Brightest yellow on the under-tail coverts
- White supercilium and moustachial streak
- Tail black with white edges, wagged up-and-down nearly constantly
- Black legs and bill (base of bill paler in young birds)
- Male has black throat in spring and summer; female, winter male and juvenile have a whitish-buff throat, though some (mainly older?) females can develop a mottled black throat
Distribution
Breeds from Europe, northwest Africa, and most of Asia east to Kamchatka, though absent from northeast Europe and northwest Asia between Sweden (where a recent colonist) and the Urals. In western Europe mainly sedentary, elsewhere migratory, wintering southwest to Gambia, south to Ethiopia, India and southeast to New Guinea.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Three to six subspecies recognized. Clements[1] and IOC[2] accept only three:
- M. c. cinerea:
- Eurasia; North Africa, south-eastern Asia, New Guinea
- M. c. patriciae:
- Azores (Furnas and São Miguel)
- M. c. schmitzi:
Other authorities, including HBW[3], split three additional subspecies from the nominate:
- M. c. melanope:
- Breeds northern Asia from the Ural Mountains east to the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, south to the north-west, north and eastern Mongolia and eastern China; also in mountains from Tien Shan south to eastern Afghanistan and east along the Himalayas; winters north-eastern Africa and south-eastern Asia
- M. c. robusta:
- Breeds extreme eastern Asia from eastern Russia, south to Korea and Japan; winters south to Sundas and New Guinea
- M. c. canariensis:
Habitat
Breeds by fast-flowing streams in rocky upland areas; more closely tied to running water than other wagtails. In winter, a little more widespread away from water, including in city centres.
Behaviour
Hyperactive, with constantly bobbing tail.
Flight
Undulating flight. Often hovers when feeding in the tree canopy.
Diet
Aquatic and waterside invertebrates, including insects (often caught in flycatching sallies), small freshwater shrimps, and also occasionally small fish fry.
Breeding
The nest is built in rock crevices, often next to (or even behind) a waterfall.
Vocalisation
Call a sharp tzt-tzt, much more incisive and harder than White Wagtail. Song:
<flashmp3>Motacilla cinerea (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2014. IOC World Bird Names (version 4.3). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and D Christie, eds. 2004. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 9: Cotingas to Pipits and Wagtails. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334696
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Grey Wagtail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Grey_Wagtail
External Links
