Are yellow wagtails rare in the UK?

Where do yellow wagtails breed?

It breeds in a variety of habitats in the UK, including arable farmland, wet pastures and upland hay meadows. Serious declines in breeding numbers across all of these habitats place the yellow wagtail on the red list of birds of conservation concern.

What is the difference between a grey and yellow wagtail?

The similar grey wagtail also has a yellow belly, but has a grey back and black wings. Yellow wagtails have much shorter tails than the other two species of breeding wagtail in the UK.

Are yellow wagtails endangered?

Yellow Wagtail populations have been in rapid decline since the early 1980s and the species was added to the Red List of birds of conservation concern in 2009.

What does a grey wagtail look like?

Although Grey Wagtail is a more likely garden visitor, for me this is a female Yellow Wag. It has clear wingbars, greenish back tone rather than grey, wings are a similar colour to the back rather than blackish, no brilliant yellow under the (relatively short) tail, also the face pattern has a broadish supercilium flaring out well behing the eye.

What is the most common breed of yellow wagtail?

It is by far the most common of the Yellow Wagtail races to occur here, other than our breeding birds ( flavissima ). Blue-headed Wagtail has successfully bred in the UK, as single-race pairs and also with flavissima. Blue-headed Wagtail, Frodsham Marsh, Cheshire (Sue & Andy Tranter).

How do you attract Grey wagtails?

In fact, according to the RSPB, unless you have a stream running at the bottom of your garden, your best chance of attracting a Grey wagtail is to get out your spade and start digging a pond! Grey wagtails are relatively rare birds with a population of just 38,000 breeding pairs in the UK.

Do blue-headed and yellow wagtails interbreed?

In northern France, there is an ‘intergrade zone’ where Blue-headed and Yellow Wagtails regularly interbreed.

What is a grey wagtail?

Some species are black, white and grey, while others have much yellow in their plumage. The grey wagtail is more colourful than its name suggests with slate grey upper parts and distinctive lemon yellow under-tail.

How many wagtails are there in the UK?

Our three wagtail species are: Yellow Wagtail, a farmland bird that migrates to sub-Saharan Africa; and two which largely remain in the UK over the winter; Grey Wagtail, a river specialist; and the familiar Pied Wagtail. The races of both Pied and Yellow Wagtail breeding in the UK nest almost nowhere else in the world.

Where do pied wagtails breed?

The pied/white wagtails are the most widespread breeding birds in Europe, breeding almost everywhere from Iceland and arctic Norway south to Andalucía and Sicily. Where do Pied Wagtails nest?

When do yellow wagtails arrive in the UK?

Yellow Wagtails arrive on their UK breeding grounds from early April and peak arrivals occur in the first week of May, according to birdwatching records collected through BirdTrack.

Do yellow wagtails winter in Africa?

Our Yellow Wagtails winter in West Africa, and there is evidence that individuals may return to the same wintering sites in subsequent years. The birds typically congregate at communal roosts, a behaviour seen at other times of the year, and something that has made the species particularly amenable to scientific study by ringers.

Where does the yellow wagtail live?

The Yellow Wagtail is a summer visitor (March-September) that winters south of the Sahara, Africa. The breeding range of the Yellow Wagtail is contracting and their numbers have fallen by over 80% since the 1970s possibly through changes in farming practices. Consequently, the Yellow Wagtail is a Red List species of conservation concern.

Is there such a thing as a grey and white wagtail?

Not all eastern yellow wagtails have grey-and-white plumage; note yellow undertail-coverts. W ithout calling, this individual would go unnoticed in Europe. Manchurian Wagtail Mmacronyx. For this paper, (nominate) M tschutschensis (table 1).

Are there any wagtail breeds in the UK?

It is by far the most common of the Yellow Wagtail races to occur here, other than our breeding birds ( flavissima ). Blue-headed Wagtail has successfully bred in the UK, as single-race pairs and also with flavissima.

Where do yellow wagtail birds live?

The western yellow wagtail is a olive and yellow plumage bird, breeds in India, Africa and south Asia. Western yellow wagtail and Eastern yellow wagtail migrate to south Asia, inhabits wet meadows, places near water and appear in variety of colours and patterns.

Is my wagtail yellow or grey?

These bright-coloured summer visitors are declining across much of their range and a frequent mistake is believing that any wagtail showing yellow in its plumage is this species. This video will help you separate individuals from the more widespread resident Grey Wagtail – which despite the name always shows yellow, and even juvenile Pied Wagtails.

Do grey wagtails migrate?

Do Grey Wagtails Migrate? Grey Wagtails do not engage in the migration from one place to another, but after the summer they move from upland, northern areas to lowland areas for the winter. This is called altitudinal migration. Their cousins the Pied Wagtail however, can migrate to as far south as north Africa to get away from the cold.

Can you breed blue headed wagtails in the UK?

Blue-headed Wagtail has successfully bred in the UK, as single-race pairs and also with flavissima. Blue-headed Wagtail, Frodsham Marsh, Cheshire (Sue & Andy Tranter). Channel Wagtail, Covenham Reservoir, Lincolnshire (Nick Clayton). In northern France, there is an ‘intergrade zone’ where Blue-headed and Yellow Wagtails regularly interbreed.

What kind of bird is this grey-headed wagtail?

Grey-headed Wagtail (Motacilla flava thunbergi): Male, Menorca, Spain 3rd June 2003. ( Photo: Martin Garner) 2. This bird is calling, a clear ringing call, not discernibly different from British Yellow and Blue-headed Wagtails.

How many babies do yellow wagtails have?

Yellow wagtails nest on the ground or in long grass, using plants, grasses and stems to build a cup-shape which they line with fur. They can have up to two broods, each with five or six eggs. A summer visitor, they arrive from their African wintering grounds from March onwards.

When do wagtails come out in the UK?

Yellow Wagtails arrive on their UK breeding grounds from early April and peak arrivals occur in the first week of May, according to birdwatching records collected through BirdTrack.

What kind of bird is yellow with a long tail?

Male: Sleek bright yellow bird with long tail. Female: Like the male, but duller. Yellow Wagtails are summer visitors from the African continent and spend their summer in pastures, meadows, marshes, riversides and arable fields, and usually near freshwater.