Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla tschutschensis
Also known as: Alaska Wagtail, Eastern Blue-Headed Wagtail
About This Species
A slim, long-tailed wagtail of wet grassland, riverbanks and coastal mudflats, it is best recognised by its constantly bobbing tail and undulating flight as it darts after insects on open ground. It breeds across northern Siberia and Alaska and migrates through and winters in south and southeast Asia and Australasia, so timing depends heavily on location. Open, damp ground near water is the most reliable habitat to check, particularly during migration passage.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- This is a small, mobile insectivore that generally tolerates observation from a moderate distance if you stay still and avoid direct approach; a few metres back with binoculars is usually sufficient.
- Migratory bird protections apply in much of its range, but the specific rules differ between its breeding grounds, stopover countries and wintering range, so avoid assuming one jurisdiction's law applies elsewhere.
- Approaching slowly and stopping if it becomes alert will minimise flushing it from feeding areas.
LCAvesPasseriformesMotacillidae
Seasonal Activity
196,695 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Motacillidae
Photo
(c) Leonid, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Leonid
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.