African Pied Wagtail
Motacilla aguimp
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
27 g
About This Species
A black-and-white wagtail found near rivers, lakes and human settlements across much of sub-Saharan Africa, walking briskly on the ground with its tail pumping as it snaps up insects disturbed by its movement. It is often confiding around towns, villages and waterside picnic sites, and forms small, sometimes noisy, roosts in the evening. Riverbanks, lakeshores and open ground near water are the most reliable places to watch it forage.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- This species is generally tolerant of people and can often be watched at close range without deliberate effort to approach, but resist the urge to feed it, as this can alter natural foraging behaviour.
- Wildlife protection rules vary across its broad range of African countries, so check local regulations before visiting protected wetlands or reserves.
- Evening communal roosts should be observed from a distance to avoid scattering large numbers of birds at once.
NEAvesPasseriformesMotacillidae
Seasonal Activity
171,282 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Motacillidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 27 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.