Western Yellow Wagtail

The western yellow wagtail is a slender wagtail, 15–16cm long, with the long, constantly wagging tail of its genus, though it is the shortest-tailed of the European wagtails. The breeding male is olive above and yellow below, while in other plumages, especially juveniles, the yellow may be diluted to whitish. The head colour and pattern of breeding males vary greatly between subspecies, and its taxonomy is confusing, with dozens of forms described. Its call is a high-pitched jeet (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is an insectivorous bird of open country near water, such as wet meadows, and nests in tussocks, laying four to eight speckled eggs. It breeds across much of temperate Europe and Asia, and most populations migrate south to tropical Africa and southern Asia for the winter. In India it is a winter migrant with a very large range. SoIB 2023 finds a current fall of about 5% a year and rates it a Moderate conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).