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White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) — photo 1 of 3
© Jac. Janssen from BAARLO LB, NL CC BY 2.0

Wagtails and pipits · Perching birds

White Wagtail

Motacilla alba

Year-round

Voice

Call

Noé Ferrari

0:20

Call

Philippe_Grange

0:11

Song

Sonothèque ADVL

0:30

How to recognize it

  • 16–19 cm, slim, with a long tail

  • Grey upperparts, white underparts

  • White head, black throat and cap

  • Runs quickly on the ground, tail constantly wagging

About the species

The white wagtail keeps moving, flicking its tail almost constantly as it walks across open ground. In towns and along waterways, it often patrols pavements and bare patches, quick on the ground and alert while it feeds.

Its call is a sharp “chissick”, and the song is more regular. Males also use contact calls when courting. The tail movement is so constant that it gives the species its common name.

It breeds across much of Eurasia, and also in parts of North Africa and western Alaska. It eats mainly insects and other small invertebrates, and in milder areas it stays through winter; elsewhere it migrates to Africa, the Middle East, India, or Southeast Asia.

Did you know?

  • Rivals unite against a hawk

    Male White Wagtails fight ceaselessly over territory during the breeding season, but the moment a hawk appears they band together and jointly attack the predator until it flees.

  • Cuckoo's most reliable host

    The White Wagtail is one of the cuckoo's most reliable foster parents — some females raise a cuckoo chick season after season, never learning to spot the impostor.

  • Daily duels with reflection

    Male White Wagtails nesting near houses often attack their own reflection in a windowpane, mistaking it for a rival, and return to these duels every day, never recognising themselves.

Where to find

  • Along pond edges, canal banks, and even puddles on pavement — look for short dashes and the constant tail bob while it snaps up insects at the waterline.

  • On open hard surfaces near waterfronts, car parks, and bare courtyards — it often trots quickly across the ground, picking insects from the pavement.

  • Under bridges, in cracks of stone walls, and beneath the roofs of older buildings — a sharp call and a quick dive into a crevice are the giveaway.

  • At reedy shores with wet gravel or sparse vegetation — it feeds right at the edge, hopping and wagging its tail as it moves.

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Sources