Birds A-Z

White Wagtail

Motacilla alba
WHITE WAGTAIL

Listen:

Marco Dragonetti, Xeno-canto

Gallery:

Key information: The White Wagtail is one of the most common and characteristic winter birds. It has a very long tail, which is constantly wagged up and down when it walks. It has a very distinctive undulating flight, but it is often seen on bare ground looking for insects. At dusk, hundreds of White Wagtails gather in the city centres to roost in big trees.

Length: 16,5 – 19 cm

Habitat: Towns and villages, farmland, wetlands

When they can be seen: Autumn, winter, spring

What they eat: Invertebrates

In Cyprus: Can be seen all over Cyprus, but not in forests.

Status: Winter visitor, passage migrant

Illustration by Paschalis Dougalis

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