# White Wagtail

*Motacilla alba*

The specific reason for their constant tail-wagging is debated, but it is likely a signal to predators that the bird is alert and difficult to ambush.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Motacillidae › Motacilla
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** urban
- **Habitat:** Open country, riverbanks, farms, and increasingly common in urban parks and paved areas.
- **Diet:** Mainly insects, including flies, beetles, and small dragonflies, often caught mid-air or on the ground.
- **Range:** Europe, Asia, North Africa, Alaska
- **Size:** 16.5-19 cm in length, 17-25g in weight
- **Lifespan:** 2-5 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Intensive agriculture and pesticide use which reduce insect populations; loss of nesting sites in modern architecture.
- **Safe to approach?:** Entirely harmless to humans. These birds are bold and often forage in open view; observe their unique tail-wagging behavior from a few meters away. Do not attempt to catch or handle them.

## About

The white wagtail ( Motacilla alba ) is a small passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws. This species breeds in much of Europe and Asia and parts of north Africa. It is resident in the mildest parts of its range, but otherwise migrates to Africa. It has a toehold in Alaska as a scarce breeder. In Ireland and Great Britain the darker sub-species the pied wagtail ( M. a. yarrellii ) predominates.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/d73eeaf3-4034-4a97-bbc4-8e5872175eef
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/13695
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motacilla alba
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2653533/medium.jpg (Kim, Hyun-tae, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.