Western Yellow Wagtail

Motacilla flava Linnaeus, 1758

Western Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava, is a wagtail in the family Motacillidae and breeds across the Palearctic. Outside the breeding season it occurs in the Oriental Region and Africa. It was described by Linnaeus in 1758. The species is widespread in temperate Europe and Asia, and most birds move south for the winter. A small breeding population in Egypt stays there all year. It is a slender bird with the typical long tail of its group, and among European wagtails it has the shortest tail. Breeding males are mainly olive above and yellow below, while other plumages can show paler yellow.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Motacillidae — Wagtails, Pipits

Breeding range

Palearctic: widespread

Nonbreeding range

Oriental Region, Africa