Western Yellow Wagtail

What the Western Yellow Wagtail sounds like

Recorded by Kevin Guille · Call · Birky, Lyubeshivs'kyi district, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine · CC0 · via xeno-canto

Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Nocturnal flight call · Cabane Vauban (Carolles), Manche, Normandie, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto

Recorded by Philippe_Grange · Nocturnal flight call · Arrondissement de la Roche-sur-Yon (near La Roche-sur-Yon), Vendée, Pays de la Loire, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto

When to see the Western Yellow Wagtail

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 6 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is May, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Western Yellow Wagtail

The map shades 133 countries with regular records, and 5 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Recorded as a rare visitor in United States, Australia, Japan, Réunion, Cape Verde.

About the Western Yellow Wagtail

The western yellow wagtail is a small passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws. This species breeds in much of temperate Europe and Asia. Most populations are migratory, moving south to tropical Africa and southern Asia for the winter; the small population breeding in Egypt is however resident there.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Grey WagtailMotacilla cinereaThis slim wagtail has a narrow white supercilium and a broken eye ring. Cape WagtailMotacilla capensisThe Cape wagtail has a dull plumage and a relatively short tail, with olive grey breast and face, with a tan supercilium and dark lores. White-browed WagtailMotacilla maderaspatensisThe white-browed wagtail is the largest species of wagtail at 21 cm (8.3 in) length.