You are here
Species
Motacilla flava Linnaeus, 1758
Nomenclature
-
Family: MotacillidaeGenus: Motacilla
Media
SUMMARY
It is a slender 15-16 cm long bird, with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. It is the shortest tailed of the European wagtails. The breeding adult male is basically olive above and yellow below. In other plumages, the yellow may be diluted by white. The heads of breeding males come in a variety of colours and patterns depending on subspecies. Adult male (left): Upperparts are a fairly bright olive-green; underparts,from the throat to the undertail, are bright lemon-yellow. Tail is shorter than Pied’s and is dark olive above but still shows the white Aires Adult female (below): A duller version of the male. Dull olive-green above and a paler lemon-yellow below, brightest on the undertail, palest on the throat (which is sometimes white). Juvenile (left): Dull and washed out appearance. Can resemble juvenilie Pied Wagtail. Identifying featuresare the lack of a black bib and thepresence of a pale lemon yellow washon the underparts, which alwaysdistinguishes even the dullest of Yellow.