Passeriformes / Motacillidae / Motacilla
Citrine Wagtail
Motacilla citreola · 黄头鹡鸰
Introduction
A small songbird in the family Motacillidae, forming a cryptic species complex with the eastern and western yellow wagtails. It breeds in the central Palearctic in wet meadows and tundra, migrating to South Asia in winter. The species is insectivorous and nests on the ground.
Description
Slender, 15.5–17 cm long with a long, constantly wagging tail. Adult males in breeding plumage are grey or black above with white on the remiges, and bright yellow below and on the entire head except for the black nape. In winter, yellow underparts may be diluted by white, and the head is brownish with a yellowish supercilium. Females resemble washed-out versions of males in winter plumage.
Distribution & Habitat
Breeds in the central Palearctic in wet meadows and tundra. Migrates in winter to South Asia, often to highland areas. Range is expanding westwards, making it a rare but increasing vagrant to western Europe. Vagrants extend migration rather than straying en route; recorded as an extremely rare passer-by in Bhutan.
Behavior & Ecology
Insectivorous bird of open country near water, such as wet meadows and bogs. Nests on the ground, laying 4–5 speckled eggs.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Motacillidae
- Genus
- Motacilla
Subspecies (2)
-
Motacilla citreola calcarata
breeds eastern Iran to northern Afghanistan, Tibet, southern China, and Myanmar; winters to Indian subcontinent and southeastern Asia
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
