Yellow WagtailIts scientific name is Motacilla citreola and it lives in Eurasia. Bird that migrates to and winters in South Asia, mainly India and Indochina . It is a species of passerine bird, belonging to the Motacillidae family that lives in Asia . According to the dictionary definition, it is a songbird with a thin body that shakes continuously. The wagtail is usually found near rivers.
Summary
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- 1 Geographical distribution and ecology
- 1 Morphological characteristics
- 2Subespecies
- 2 Sources
Geographical distribution and ecology
It is located in Eurasia. During the breeding season it ranges from northern Siberia to the Himalayan range , and from eastern Europe to China. The breeding area of the werae subspecies has been gradually expanding westward, starting in southern Russia, over the Ukraine, Belarus, and parts of the Baltic States and Poland .
It is a migratory species that breeds in temperate regions of Asia ( Russia , Siberia, and Mongolia), wintering in India and Southeast Asia. The species occurs regularly in western Europe, with citations that have tended to increase —which is related to the expansion of the breeding area— and which are mainly in autumn in Great Britain and in spring in France and more eastern countries.
In Spain it was not cited until 1987, but since then 20 homologated records have been accumulated up to the year 2004, which are distributed especially between Catalonia (14, many of them in the Ebro delta) and the Balearic Islands (3). Autumn data predominate in the country (16, with a peak in September) and, as in Western Europe as a whole, those referring to first-year birds.
It reproduces in tundras, swamps, lake shores, humid grasslands, etc., at highly variable altitudes, and in winter it also occupies marshes, lagoons, rice paddies , canals, rivers and other environments linked to water. It eats invertebrates, frequently aquatic ( dragonflies , beetles, dipterans, spiders , etc.). It installs its nests on the ground, among the herbaceous vegetation .
morphological features
Motacilla in its habitat
Resembles the Wagtail in size and proportions, but its longer tail and grayish underparts are more reminiscent of the Cascading Wagtail. On the edges of the median and great coverts it has two wide and very distinctive white wing stripes. Adults, especially during breeding season, show much yellow on head, breast, and belly, but may be absent entirely in first-winter birds.
- Family: Motacilids – Motacillidae.
- Appearance: Similar to the Wagtail, but has a gray back and two broad white wingbars, and lacks darker markings on the underparts and throat. The head of the males is all bright yellow.
- Size: Length 15.5-17 cm, weight 15-24 g.
- Nest: Usually near a hummock, made of dry straw, lined with hair and some feathers.
- Reproduction: 4 to 7 eggs are laid from May to June, incubated by both parents for 14 to 15 days. The chicks remain in the nest for 12 to 15 days.
- Distribution: The main breeding areas extend from the southern Baltic Sea region through central and northern Russia to Siberia.
- Migration: By day. Little information is available due to the scarcity of the species. It winters in Asia.
- Diet: Invertebrates.
- Calls: A clear, loud “tsriit”.
In its summer plumage , the Sallow Wagtail has a bright yellow head and underparts, save for the white coloration of the cloaca. The back and wings are dark gray with a darker shade on the upper part of the back and the lower part of the neck. The female has greyish cheeks and cap, and yellow chest and brow stripes.
Juveniles have light gray upperparts without any yellow tinge, thus resembling young White Wagtails, except that they lack breastplate-like spots (although some juveniles may have specks on the edges of the tail). throat).
The sallow wagtail’s tail is black with broad white edges. In all plumages, the large white wingparts are a good distinguishing feature, as all individuals have two white wingbars and the white edge of the secondary wing feathers is conspicuous. The Sallow Wagtail has dark brown legs and irises and a black bill.