Birds · Passeriformes · Motacillidae

White Wagtail

Motacilla alba

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

A slender bird with a very long tail that it wags without pause, with a white face mask, a black throat and breast and a grey back. It walks with quick steps rather than hopping, and is as much at home on a city pavement as on a riverbank.

Weight

16 g – 27 g

Size

16 cm – 19 cm

Lifespan

5 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

Between 13 and 26 million breeding pairs in Europe according to BirdLife International (2004), equivalent to between 39 and 78 million individuals

Insectivore Diurnal In pairs Bird

47countries 261parks6same family

Fun facts

It associates with livestock to take the larvae of the insects that lay their eggs in the dung.
It is one of the regular hosts of the common cuckoo in central Europe.
Its taxonomy has been under discussion for decades: in 1998 it was proposed to split it into seven species, a proposal BirdLife rejected for lack of morphological, vocal and phylogenetic evidence.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Almost any open habitat, always near water: riverbanks, irrigation channels, beaches, reservoirs, farmland. Very well adapted to towns and cities, where it feeds on tarmac and rooftops
Gestation / incubation: About 12 days, by both sexes. The chicks leave the nest at 10-15 days and go on being fed for at least another week
Litter / clutch size: 4-6 whitish eggs with fine speckles, with up to three clutches a year between April and August

Sources consulted: SEO/BirdLife (ficha y III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España); IUCN Red List; Asturnatura; Gordo y Aymí 2022, III Atlas; Audubon Field Guide; Pérez-Tris y Asensio 1997, Doñana Acta Vertebrata 24