Japanese Wagtail vs Madagascar Wagtail

Japanese Wagtail

Motacilla grandis

Small30 gRiverine

The Japanese wagtail is about 20 cm long. The sexes look similar; they have white underparts and black upperparts, throats, and backs. Their supercilia are also white. They have black beaks and dark grey legs and feet. The plumage of a juvenile is greyer than that of an adult.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: nubobo from Iwata, Shizuoka, Japan · CC BY 2.0

Madagascar Wagtail

Motacilla flaviventris

Small23 gRiverine

The Madagascar wagtail is a large, elegant and slender wagtail which has grey upperparts, a white breast and a yellow belly. There is a black band across the breast and the long tail has a dark centre and white outer tail feathers. There is short white supercilium. Juveniles have a less conspicuous breast band and a fainter supercilium. The body length is 19 cm (7.5 in).

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: amantedarmanin · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Japanese Wagtail and Madagascar Wagtail.