Wagtails and pipits · Perching birds
Western Yellow Wagtail
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Motacilla flava
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Voice
Call
Call
Call
How to recognize it
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Slim, 15–16 cm, with a long tail that keeps wagging
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Breeding male: olive upperparts, yellow underparts; juveniles much duller
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Often by water or wet meadows, perching on tall grass tips
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High-pitched call: jeet
About the species
The Western Yellow Wagtail is a slender, active, small-bodied species with a very long tail that keeps moving. On wet meadows or along water, it is often easier to notice by the way it perches on the top of a grass stem and keeps its balance than by its size.
It moves briskly, runs over the ground with ease, and does not sit still for long. Its voice is a thin, sharp jeet, and its habit of flicking that tail is hard to miss.
For nesting, it needs open wet places such as meadows, marshy grassland, river valleys, and low ground with tall grass. It feeds on small insects and other invertebrates, and in most places is present from spring to early autumn before heading south for winter.
Where to find
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On damp meadow-like lawns by ponds and drainage ditches, look for the Western Yellow Wagtail running in short bursts and snatching insects from the ground.
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Along overgrown canal banks, especially in the morning, it often stands on little tussocks by the reeds and flicks its tail.
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On wet vacant lots and rain puddles after showers, watch for quick dashes over open grass followed by a sudden pause.
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In roomy older parks with water nearby — on rough grass under big trees — the thin call and habit of perching on grass tops can give it away.
