Citrine Wagtail

Overview

The citrine wagtail (Motacilla citreola) is a small songbird characterised by its yellowish colouration, which gives it its common and scientific name. It is currently classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, although its taxonomy within the yellow wagtail complex remains a subject of considerable debate.

Identification

• A slender bird measuring 15.5–17 cm in length with a long, constantly wagging tail.
• Adult males in breeding plumage appear grey or black above with white remiges, and are bright yellow below and on the head, excluding a black nape.
• Winter plumage features diluted yellow underparts, often mixed with white, and a brownish head with a yellowish supercilium.
• Females resemble washed-out versions of males in winter plumage.

Habitat

Breeding populations occupy wet meadows and tundra in the central Palearctic, while the species migrates to highland areas in South Asia during winter. Its range is expanding westwards, making it a rare but increasing vagrant to western Europe.

Diet

It is an insectivorous bird that forages in open country near water, such as wet meadows and bogs, where it also nests on the ground.

Did you know?

Vagrants to western Europe appear to be extending their migration range rather than straying accidentally, as evidenced by records in Bhutan where the bird is an extremely rare passer-by that does not stay even for a few days.