The western yellow wagtail is the third of 13 species of wagtail I've seen (I've previously seen the Cape wagtail in South Africa and the African pied wagtail in Kenya). It is olive above and yellow below. There are 12 subspecies differentiated by the heads of breeding males. The Iberian yellow wagtail subspecies is characterized by a white throat and chin, and darker gray, almost black, behind the eyes.
I saw this bird in the Tagus River Estuary south of Lisbon, Portugal. It had an insect in its mouth and was in an area with lots of water among flamingos, black-winged stilts and Kentish plovers.
I assume that it does wag its tail?
ReplyDeleteYou are perceptive, yes it does.
ReplyDelete