Bird Guide

Grey Wagtail vs White-browed Wagtail

Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)

Grey Wagtail

Motacilla cinerea

Small17 gRiverine

This slim wagtail has a narrow white supercilium and a broken eye ring. The upperparts are grey and the yellow vent contrasting with whitish underparts makes it distinctive. The breeding male has a black throat that is edged by whitish moustachial stripes. They forage singly or in pairs on meadows or on shallow water marshes. They also use rocks in water and will often perch on trees. They have a clear sharp call note and the song consists of trills.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Grégoire Chauvot · CC0
Photo: Andrew Cunnington · CC0
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: Grey Wagtail and White-browed Wagtail.