Pied Wagtail

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Pied Wagtail in the UK

A common resident, with about 505,000 pairs in the UK. The trend since 1967 is stable and it is Green-listed. The Pied Wagtail is the dark-backed British and Irish race of the White Wagtail, and almost the whole world population lives here. Birds from the uplands and the north move south in autumn, and some cross to France and Iberia. The pale-backed continental White Wagtail passes through in spring and autumn.

Where and when to see a Pied Wagtail

Open ground with short turf or bare surfaces, all year: car parks, playing fields, farmyards, roofs, lawns, sewage works and the edges of rivers and lakes. In winter, look for town-centre roosts. At dusk, birds gather in street trees, on supermarket and hospital roofs and at motorway services, sometimes in hundreds, drawn by the warmth and light. White Wagtails are best looked for on coasts and reservoir banks in April.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Open ground, car parks.
Diet: Insects.
Field note: Constant tail-bobbing.

How to identify a Pied Wagtail

Sparrow-sized in body but with a long tail that makes it about 18 cm overall. The tail wags up and down almost constantly. Males have a black back, crown and bib and a white face. Females have a dark grey back, and in winter both sexes lose most of the black bib, keeping a dark breast band. The wings have white bars and the tail has white outer feathers. Juveniles are brownish-grey with a smudgy breast and often a yellowish tinge to the face. It runs in short bursts and flies in deep bounds.

Call and song

A loud, two-note 'chis-ick', usually given in flight and easy to pick out overhead. The song is a quiet, hurried twitter. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• White Wagtail: White Wagtail has a clean pale grey back and rump, sharply cut off from the black nape on spring males.
• Grey Wagtail: Grey Wagtail has a yellow vent and rump, a longer tail and a grey back, and keeps to running water.

Related guide UK garden birds.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Pied Wagtail is a Common tier bird, worth +1 point when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Iberian Pied WagtailEpic · Open ground (very rare)
• Grey WagtailCommon · Fast streams
• Black-headed WagtailEpic · Marshes (very rare race)
• Citrine WagtailRare · Marshes (rare passage)
• Eastern Yellow WagtailEpic · Marshes (very rare vagrant)
• Grey-headed WagtailRare · Marshes (rare passage)

Pied Wagtail: quick answers

What does a Pied Wagtail eat?

Small insects, mostly flies and midges, picked from the ground or snatched in a short dash or leap. Tarmac and short grass make prey easy to see, which is why car parks suit it so well. In hard weather it will take crumbs and small seeds.

What habitat does Pied Wagtail live in?

Open places with bare ground or short grass, often near water or buildings. It nests in holes and ledges in walls, banks, sheds and machinery. Dense woodland and tall crops are the only habitats it avoids.

What is the difference between Pied Wagtail and White Wagtail?

They are two races of one species. Pied has a black or dark grey back, a dark rump and sooty flanks. White has a pale ash-grey back and rump and cleaner white flanks. Females and young birds can be hard to call.

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