Bird Guide

Madagascar Wagtail vs Mountain Wagtail

Madagascar Wagtail (Motacilla flaviventris)

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
Mountain Wagtail (Motacilla clara)

Mountain Wagtail

Motacilla clara

Small18 gForest

A slender, long tailed wagtail with light bluish grey upperparts and white underparts with a narrow black breast band. The wings are black with white feather edges and two white wing covert bars. The outer tail is white and the tail centre is black. The face is blackish broken up with a white supercilium and the eyelid. Juveniles are browner than adults.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0

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