Bird Guide

Citrine Wagtail vs White-browed Wagtail

Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola)

Citrine Wagtail

Motacilla citreola

Small19 gWetland

It is a slender, 15.5–17 cm long bird, with the long, constantly wagging tail characteristic of the genus Motacilla. The adult male in breeding plumage is basically grey or black above, with white on the remiges, and bright yellow below and on the entire head except for the black nape. In winter plumage, its yellow underparts may be diluted by white, and the head is brownish with a yellowish supercilium. Females look generally like washed-out versions of males in winter plumage.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Kevin Guille · CC0
Photo: (c) egorbirder, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
White-browed Wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis)

White-browed Wagtail

Motacilla maderaspatensis

Small31 gRiverine

The white-browed wagtail is the largest species of wagtail at 21 cm (8.3 in) length. It is a slender bird, with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. It has black upperparts, head and breast, with a white supercilium and large white wingbar. Unlike white wagtails it never has white on the forehead. The rest of the underparts are white. The female has the black less intense than in the male. Juveniles are like the females brown-grey where the adult is black.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Mitul and Vijul Singh · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Citrine Wagtail and White-browed Wagtail.