White Wagtail
Motacilla alba
Also known as: Pied Wagtail, Cuereta Blanca, Pied Wagtail and White Wagtail, White-Browed Wagtail
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
24 g
About This Species
Watch for its constant tail-wagging as it walks briskly across open ground near water, farmland, car parks and rooftops across Europe and Asia, foraging for insects at the water's edge and on short grass. It nests in wall crevices, ledges and building cavities, and in winter often gathers into large communal roosts in towns. It is visible year-round through most of its range, making any season workable for a look.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Avoid disturbing nest sites tucked into walls, ledges or building crevices during the breeding season, and give communal winter roost sites space rather than approaching closely.
- It is protected under the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the EU Birds Directive across its European range.
- Viewing from a distance without reaching toward nest crevices is sufficient to see its behaviour well.
Seasonal Activity
6,186,375 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Motacillidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 24 g
Photo
(c) Dr Caesar Sengupta, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Dr Caesar Sengupta
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.