Blue-headed Wagtail
Encyclopedia
The Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava, is a small passerine in the wagtail
family
Motacillidae
, which also includes the pipit
s and longclaw
s.
This species breeds in much of temperate Europe
and Asia
and has a foothold in North America
in Alaska
. It is resident in the milder parts of its range, such as western Europe, but northern and eastern populations migrate
to Africa
and south Asia. The Beringian population winters further down the Pacific coast.
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Vagrant individuals occur around the winter quarters at migration time. For example, on Palau
in Micronesia
migrant flocks of this species – apparently of the Bering Sea Yellow Wagtail, and including many adult males – are regularly seen, while further north on the Marianas, only the occasional stray individual – usually females or immatures as it seems – is encountered.
It is a slender 15–16 cm long bird, with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. It is the shortest tailed of the European wagtails. The breeding adult male is basically olive above and yellow below. In other plumages, the yellow may be diluted by white. The heads of breeding males come in a variety of colours and patterns depending on subspecies
.
The call is a characteristic high-pitched jeet.
This insectivorous bird
inhabits open country near water, such as wet meadows. It nests in tussocks, laying 4-8 speckled eggs.
(M. citreola) forms a cryptic species complex
with this bird; both taxa as conventionally delimited are paraphyletic in respect to each other. The populations of the Beringian region are sometimes separated as Eastern Yellow Wagtail (M. tschutschensis).
Currently accepted subspecies:
Coloration refers to males except when noted.
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Nominate Blue-headed Wagtail and Yellow Wagtail form a narrow hybrid zone in northern France
. Birds from this zone vary in appearance, but one type, which resembles nominate Blue-headed Wagtail (except that the blue tones to the head are paler and more mauve and the white of the head is more extensive, particularly on the throat, ear-coverts, and supercilium) is colloquially referred to as Channel Wagtail.
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Wagtail
The wagtails form the passerine bird genus Motacilla. They are small birds with long tails which they wag frequently. Motacilla, the root of the family and genus name, means moving tail...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Motacillidae
Motacillidae
The Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. There are around 65 species in 6 genera and they include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominately found in Europe, Africa and...
, which also includes the pipit
Pipit
The pipits are a cosmopolitan genus, Anthus, of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. Along with the wagtails and longclaws, the pipits make up the family Motacillidae...
s and longclaw
Longclaw
The longclaws are a genus of small African passerine birds with long tails, which they wag frequently. They are in the same family as the pipits and wagtails.Longclaws are slender, often colorful, ground-feeding insectivores of open country...
s.
This species breeds in much of temperate Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and has a foothold in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. It is resident in the milder parts of its range, such as western Europe, but northern and eastern populations migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and south Asia. The Beringian population winters further down the Pacific coast.
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
in Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
migrant flocks of this species – apparently of the Bering Sea Yellow Wagtail, and including many adult males – are regularly seen, while further north on the Marianas, only the occasional stray individual – usually females or immatures as it seems – is encountered.
It is a slender 15–16 cm long bird, with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. It is the shortest tailed of the European wagtails. The breeding adult male is basically olive above and yellow below. In other plumages, the yellow may be diluted by white. The heads of breeding males come in a variety of colours and patterns depending on subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
.
The call is a characteristic high-pitched jeet.
This insectivorous bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
inhabits open country near water, such as wet meadows. It nests in tussocks, laying 4-8 speckled eggs.
Systematics
This species' systematics and phylogeny is extremely confusing. Literally dozens of subspecies have been described at one time or another, and some 15-20 are currently considered valid depending on which author reviews them. In addition, the Citrine WagtailCitrine Wagtail
The Citrine Wagtail or Yellow-headed Wagtail is a small songbird in the family Motacillidae. The term citrine refers to its yellowish colouration. Its systematics, phylogeny and taxonomy are subject of considerable debate in the early 21st century. This is because this bird forms a cryptic...
(M. citreola) forms a cryptic species complex
Cryptic species complex
In biology, a cryptic species complex is a group of species which satisfy the biological definition of species—that is, they are reproductively isolated from each other—but whose morphology is very similar ....
with this bird; both taxa as conventionally delimited are paraphyletic in respect to each other. The populations of the Beringian region are sometimes separated as Eastern Yellow Wagtail (M. tschutschensis).
Currently accepted subspecies:
Coloration refers to males except when noted.
- M. f. flava Linnaeus, 1758 – Blue-headed Wagtail.
- Blue-gray head with white superciliumSuperciliumThe supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head. Also known as an "eyebrow", it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line which runs...
and malarMalarMalar may refer to:* Malar, Iran, a city in Iran* Malar, Pakistan, a town in Pakistan* Malar , a deity in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of Dungeons & Dragons* Relating to the cheek...
stripe in males, much washed with buffish green in females. - Breeding: S ScandinaviaScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
to FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and C European mountain ranges, E to Urals. Winter: sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
.- M. f. flavissima Blyth, 1834 – Yellow-crowned Wagtail.
- Yellow-green head with a brighter yellow supercilium. Females markedly paler below than males.
- Breeding: BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and English ChannelEnglish ChannelThe English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
coast. Winter: AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.- M. f. thunbergi Billberg, 1828 - Dark-headed Wagtail or Grey-headed Wagtail.
- Head dark gray, reaching down to the cheeks, and without white in males; lighter and washed greenish, with vestigial greenish supercilium in females.
- Breeding: C and N Scandinavia E to NW SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. Winter: E Africa, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n subcontinent, Southeast AsiaSoutheast AsiaSoutheast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.- M. f. iberiae Hartert, 1921 – Iberian Yellow Wagtail.
- Like flava, but throat white and gray darker, almost black behind eyes.
- Breeding: SE France, IberiaIberian PeninsulaThe Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
, MaghrebMaghrebThe Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
from TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
to Banc d'Arguin. Winter: The GambiaThe GambiaThe Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
to CARČarČar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
.- M. f. cinereocapilla Savi, 1831 – Ashy-headed Wagtail.
- Like iberiae but supercilium absent or vestigial.
- Breeding: SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, SardiniaSardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. Winter: coastal TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
and AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, MaliMaliMali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
to Lake ChadLake ChadLake Chad is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Africa, whose size has varied over the centuries. According to the Global Resource Information Database of the United Nations Environment Programme, it shrank as much as 95% from about 1963 to 1998; yet it also states that "the 2007 ...
.- M. f. pygmaea (A. E. Brehm, 1854) – Egyptian Yellow Wagtail.
- Similar to cinereocapilla, smaller, less bright.
- Nile deltaNile DeltaThe Nile Delta is the delta formed in Northern Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the east, it covers some 240 km of Mediterranean coastline—and is a rich...
and lower Nile, resident all year.- M. f. feldegg Michahelles, 1830 – Black-headed Wagtail
- Like thunbergi but black cap in males, females like a dull thunbergi male above, very washed-out dirty yellowish below, throat white.
- Breeding: BalkansBalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
E to Caspian SeaCaspian SeaThe Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
, S to TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
; also LevantLevantThe Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
. Winter: C Africa from NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
to UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and S SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.- M. f. lutea (S. G. Gmelin, 1774) – Yellow-headed Wagtail.
- Head yellow with green neck in males, females like a somewhat more vivid flava female.
- Breeding: Lower Volga to Irtysh River and Lake ZaysanLake ZaysanLake Zaysan is a freshwater lake, ca. 1,810 km² , in eastern Kazakhstan, in a hollow between the Altai and Tarbagatai Mountains. It is the largest lake in the East Kazakhstan Province....
. Winter: Africa and Indian subcontinent.- M. f. beema (Sykes, 1832) – Sykes' Wagtail.
- Like flava but head lighter gray, ears washed white; sexes often similar.
- Breeding: North of lutea, E to LadakhLadakhLadakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
area. Winter: Indian subcontinent, also E Africa and adjacent Arabia.- M. f. melanogrisea (Homeyer, 1878) – Turkestan Black-headed Wagtail.
- Similar to feldegg, but white malar stripe and sometimes green neck.
- Breeding: Volga DeltaVolga DeltaThe Volga Delta is the largest river delta in Europe, and occurs where Europe's largest river system, the Volga River, drains into the Caspian Sea in Russia's Astrakhan Oblast, north-east of the republic of Kalmykia. The delta is located in the Caspian Depression—the far eastern part of the delta...
E around Caspian Sea to N Afghanistan. Winter: PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and NW India to W NepalNepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, possibly also NE Africa.- M. f. plexa (Thayer & Bangs, 1914) – North Siberian Yellow Wagtail.
- Males like thunbergi but ears darker, top of head lighter, vestigial supercilium. Females like dull males.
- Breeding: Siberia between KhatangaKhatanga RiverThe Khatanga River is a river in Krasnoyarsk Krai in Russia. It begins at the confluence of the rivers Kotuy and Kheta. The Khatanga River is long; the area of its basin is 364,000 km². It flows into the Khatanga Gulf of the Laptev Sea, forming an estuary...
and Kolyma RiverKolyma RiverThe Kolyma River is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. Itrises in the mountains north of Okhotsk and Magadan, in the area of and...
s. Winter: India, SE Asia.- M. f. tschutschensis J. F. Gmelin, 1789 – Beringian Yellow Wagtail, Alaska Yellow Wagtail, or Eastern Yellow Wagtail.
- Both sexes similar to corresponding flava, but gray of head darker; females often very male-like.
- Breeding: around Bering StraitBering StraitThe Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
to NW CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
coast. Winter: regions around South China SeaSouth China SeaThe South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
.- M. f. angarensis (Sushkin, 1925) – South Siberian Yellow Wagtail.
- Males like plexa, but supercilium more pronounced.
- Breeding: From S Siberia S through W Transbaikalia to N MongoliaMongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. Winter: SE Asia.- M. f. leucocephala (Przevalski, 1887) – White-headed Yellow Wagtail.
- Male like flava, but grey of head very pale, almost white. Female like flava females, but head somewhat darker.
- Breeding: NW Mongolia and adjacent PRCPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and Russia. Winter: probably India.- M. f. taivana (Swinhoe, 1863) – Green-crowned Yellow Wagtail or Kuril Yellow Wagtail.
- Like flavissima but daker above, ears much darker, almost black. Sexes similar.
- Breeding: between ranges of plexa and tschutschensis S via SakhalinSakhalinSakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
to N HokkaidōHokkaido, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
. Winter: MyanmarMyanmarBurma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
to TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, S to WallaceaWallaceaWallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of Indonesian islands separated by deep water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Wallacea includes Sulawesi, the largest island in the group, as well as Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Timor, Halmahera, Buru, Seram, and...
.- M. f. macronyx (Stresemann, 1920) – Southeast Siberian Yellow Wagtail.
- Males like thunbergi but brighter and more strongly marked overall. Female like in thunbergi but no supercilium.
- Breeding: SE Transbaikalia E to coast, S to ManchuriaManchuriaManchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
. Winter: NW of South China Sea.- M. f. simillima Hartert, 1905 – Bering Sea Yellow Wagtail or Short-tailed Grey-headed Wagtail.
- Both sexes similar to corresponding flava, but supercilium usually less pronounced.
- Breeding: Kamchatka and Bering SeaBering SeaThe Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
islands, possibly to Aleuts. Winter: SE Asia S to N AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Nominate Blue-headed Wagtail and Yellow Wagtail form a narrow hybrid zone in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Birds from this zone vary in appearance, but one type, which resembles nominate Blue-headed Wagtail (except that the blue tones to the head are paler and more mauve and the white of the head is more extensive, particularly on the throat, ear-coverts, and supercilium) is colloquially referred to as Channel Wagtail.
Books
- Badyaev, A. V., B. Kessel, and D. D. Gibson. 1998. Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava). In The Birds of North America, No. 382 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
Articles
- Antikainen E & Sorvari VM. (1985). A Mixed Pair of Yellow Wagtails Motacilla-Lutea and Motacilla-Flava-Flava in Sonkajarvi North Savo Finland. Ornis Fennica. vol 62, no 2.
- Aymi R. (1997). Additional cases of interrupted moult in the yellow wagtail Motacilla flava. Ringing & Migration. vol 18, no 1. p. 33-34.
- Bell CP. (1996). The relationship between geographic variation in clutch size and migration pattern in the yellow wagtail. Bird Study. vol 43, no 3. p. 333-341.
- Bell CP. (1996). Seasonality and time allocation as causes of leap-frog migration in the Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava. Journal of Avian Biology. vol 27, no 4. p. 334-342.
- Bell CP. (2005). Fattening rates in preparation for spring migration in leap-frogging yellow wagtail populations wintering in Nigeria. Alauda. vol 73, no 3.
- Bell CP. (2006). Social interactions, moult and pre-migratory fattening among Yellow Wagtails Motacilla flava in the Nigerian Sahel. Malimbus. vol 28, no 2. p. 69-82.
- Belman PJ & Eddings PAI. (1980). Marsh Frogs Rana-Ridibunda Seizing Bonellis Warbler Phylloscopus-Bonelli and Yellow Wagtail Motacilla-Flava. British Birds. vol 73, no 9. p. 418-419.
- Bradbury RB & Bradter U. (2004). Habitat associations of Yellow Wagtails Motacilla flava flavissima on lowland wet grassland. Ibis. vol 146, no 2. p. 241-246.
- Buckland ST & Hereward AC. (1982). Trap Shyness of Yellow Wagtails Motacilla-Flava-Flavissima at a Pre Migratory Roost. Ringing & Migration. vol 4, no 1. p. 15-23.
- Crick H, Raven M, Beaven P & Glue D. (2001). Yellow wagtail and red-throated diver: New nest record scheme alerts. Bird Populations. vol 6, p. 84-87.
- Czikeli H. (1985). Biochemical Genetics in the Yellow Wagtail Motacilla-Flava Complex Conservative Avian Protein Evolution Reconfirmed by Isoelectric Focusing. Biochemical Systematics & Ecology. vol 13, no 2. p. 171-178.
- Dubale MS & Thomas VC. (1978). The Epidermal Structures of the Tongue and the Buccal Cavity of the Brahminy Myna Sturnus-Pagodarum and the Wagtail Motacilla-Flava-Thunbergi. Acta ZoologicaActa ZoologicaActa Zoologica: Morphology and Evolution is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published since 1920 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. Originally it was entitled just Acta Zoologica and only changed its name in the early 21st Century. It is...
. vol 59, no 3-4. p. 149-156.
- Fraker MA & Fraker RN. (1980). Yellow Wagtail Motacilla-Flava East of the Mackenzie Delta Canada. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 94, no 4. p. 465-466.
- Hereward AC. (1979). The Autumn Molt of the Yellow Wagtail Motacilla-Flava-Flavissima. Ringing & Migration. vol 2, no 3. p. 113-117.
- Hunt J & Standring I. (1995). A yellow wagtail Motacilla flava at Lake Mclarty. Western Australian Naturalist. vol 20, no 2. p. 61-64.
- Inskipp TP. (1981). MYSTERY PHOTOGRAPHS - 60 YELLOW WAGTAIL. British Birds. vol 74, no 12. p. 517-519.
- Johnstone RE. (1982). The Yellow Wagtail Motacilla-Flava in Australia. Western Australian Naturalist. vol 15, no 3. p. 61-66.
- Kaellander H. (1993). Commensal feeding associations between yellow wagtails Motacilla flava and cattle. Ibis. vol 135, no 1. p. 97-100.
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