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This practical guide is intended for lawn growers in the UK and addresses the frequently searched question, “How can I prevent birds from eating my grass seeds?” Key takeaway: Physical coverage is the only reliable defense; bird deterrents such as reflective tape and fake owls offer only temporary relief and should be used only as a supplement.

The White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba) is a small, slim songbird, about 18 cm long, named for its constantly bobbing tail. Adult birds show a black cap, white face and underparts, black wings with white markings, and a clean silvery-grey back. The species breeds across continental Europe, from Iceland and Greenland east to the Ural Mountains and Turkey, and winters in Africa and southern Asia. In the UK it is a passage migrant, moving through from March to May and again from August to November. What Kind of Bird Is the White Wagtail? The White Wagtail is one of nine recognised subspecies of Motacilla alba, a widespread songbird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The form most people in Britain see, the Pied Wagtail, is a different subspecies of the same species: M. a. yarrellii, the black-backed British and Irish race. Two facts frame everything else about this bird: The White Wagtail is a ground-feeding insect eater, built for running and darting across open surfaces rather than perching in trees. It is one of the most widespread songbirds on Earth. Motacilla alba as a whole breeds across Europe, Asia and parts of North Africa, and nine subspecies divide up that enormous range. Appearance: What Does a White Wagtail Look Like? The White Wagtail is slim and long-tailed, roughly 18 cm from bill to tail, with a fine, pointed bill suited to picking small prey from the ground. Three features define the adult plumage: Back: clean silvery-grey, contrasting with the black crown, nape and wings. Underparts: white from the chin to the undertail coverts. Tail: long and black with white outer feathers, pumped up and down almost constantly, whether the bird is walking or standing still. Males in spring show the crispest pattern: a solid black crown and nape, a clear grey back, and a neat black bib. Females and autumn birds are duller, with a grey or grey-washed crown and a weaker, less defined bib. Juveniles are mottled grey-brown with a yellowish face, and can puzzle even experienced birdwatchers. Light and angle change how the plumage reads in the field, so a single feature rarely settles an identification. For a bird you cannot confirm, note the back, the flanks and the rump, and check our full comparison of the White Wagtail and Pied Wagtail for a side-by-side breakdown. Range and Migration The White Wagtail breeds across continental Europe, from Iceland and, in small numbers, Greenland, east to the Ural Mountains and Turkey. Other subspecies extend the species' range deep into Asia. In winter, White Wagtails leave the breeding grounds and move south: West African wintering grounds hold birds from Iceland, Greenland and western Europe, while eastern populations winter as far south as Kenya, Malawi and southern Asia. In Britain the White Wagtail is a passage migrant rather than a resident. Spring passage runs from late February to mid-May and peaks in April. Autumn passage runs from mid-August to early November and peaks in September. Most British records involve birds from Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which gives the species a strong west-coast bias: the Wirral and the Lancashire coast regularly hold triple-figure flocks in April, and gatherings of 500 or more have been recorded at Hoylake. A very small number stay to breed in Britain, almost all in Shetland and occasionally elsewhere in northern Scotland. Six pairs bred in Shetland in 2018, and young fledged from a nest in Cornwall the same year. Outside Shetland, a White Wagtail seen in summer is almost always a passage bird. Habitat: Where Does the White Wagtail Live? The White Wagtail is a bird of open ground. It avoids woodland, thick scrub and dense vegetation, and instead chooses places where the surface is short, bare or recently disturbed: shorelines, estuary edges and mudflats grazed pasture and open farmland playing fields, lawns and car parks ploughed fields and sewage treatment works villages, harbours and car parks near the coast Water nearby helps, because wet ground holds the invertebrates this bird feeds on, but the defining feature is openness. On migration, a White Wagtail will stop on almost any patch of bare ground, which is why the species turns up in farmyards, supermarket car parks and sports pitches far from the sea. Diet and Feeding Behaviour The White Wagtail eats insects and other small invertebrates. The diet includes flies, mosquitoes, beetles, moths, caterpillars, spiders, worms and small snails. It feeds on the ground, running in short bursts, stopping to pick prey from the surface, and chasing anything that moves. It also snatches insects in flight, leaping up from the ground or sallying from a low perch such as a rock or a roof ridge. The constant tail-pumping may flush prey from the surface, and it certainly makes the bird easy to spot at a distance. On migration, White Wagtails often feed in mixed flocks with Pied Wagtails on open fields, so a wagtail flock anywhere in Britain during passage season is worth checking. Breeding and Nesting White Wagtails breed from April to July across their continental range. The nest sits in a cavity or a sheltered ledge: a hole in a wall, a stack of stones, a gap under roofing, a hollow in a bank, even a crevice in machinery or a boat. The female builds the nest from grass, leaves, hair and feathers, and lays five or six speckled eggs. Both parents feed the chicks, which leave the nest after about two weeks and stay near the adults for a further week or more. Pairs often raise two broods in a season. White Wagtails can be aggressive defenders of the nest area, chasing away much larger birds that come too close. The species pairs for a season, and courtship involves the male chasing the female while singing and displaying his plumage. Mixed pairs between White and Pied Wagtails occur occasionally where the two forms meet, most often in Britain and along the western edge of Europe. Behaviour and Song The White Wagtail is almost constantly in motion. It walks rather than hops, tail pumping with every step, and it rarely stays still for long. On the ground it looks busy and alert; in flight it shows a bounding, undulating path with sharp wingbeats, and the long tail streams out behind. The call is a sharp, metallic "tslee-vit" or "chizzick", loud for such a small bird and often the first sign that a wagtail is nearby. The song is a loose, twittering series of phrases delivered from a rooftop, post or aerial wire, often during a fluttering song-flight. Conservation Status The White Wagtail is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a very large and stable global population. The BTO reports that the European trend has been broadly stable since 1980. The species adapts well to human landscapes, nesting in buildings and feeding on farmland and in towns, which has buffered it against some of the pressures affecting other farmland birds. A few facts worth knowing: The Icelandic population is estimated at up to 50,000 pairs, and the entire Icelandic, Faroese and Greenland populations likely pass through Britain and Ireland each year. A White Wagtail was voted Iceland's Bird of the Year in 2022. Three subspecies beyond alba and yarrellii have reached Britain as extreme vagrants: Amur Wagtail (two records), and East Siberian Wagtail and Masked Wagtail (one each). The Pied Wagtail, the British counterpart subspecies, holds an estimated half a million breeding pairs in the UK. FAQs about White Wagtail Is the White Wagtail a different species from the Pied Wagtail? No. Both are subspecies of Motacilla alba. The Pied Wagtail is the black-backed British and Irish form; the White Wagtail is the grey-backed continental form. Our full comparison of the White Wagtail and Pied Wagtail covers the field marks in detail. Is the White Wagtail rare in the UK? Not rare, but not a resident. During spring and autumn passage, the species is regular and expected at coastal sites across Britain. Outside passage periods it is largely absent, and any confirmed breeding record outside Shetland is notable. What does a White Wagtail eat? Almost entirely insects and small invertebrates: flies, beetles, caterpillars, spiders, worms and small snails. It picks prey from open ground and snatches insects in flight. Where does the White Wagtail live? Across continental Europe from Iceland and Greenland to the Ural Mountains and Turkey, with other subspecies extending through Asia. It winters in Africa and southern Asia. In Britain it appears only on migration, favouring the west coast. Why does the White Wagtail pump its tail? The exact reason is debated. Tail-pumping may flush insects from the ground, may signal to other wagtails, or may simply be part of how the bird balances while walking. Whatever the cause, the bobbing tail is the easiest way to spot a wagtail at a distance. Final Word The White Wagtail is a common bird with an uncommon story. It shares its species with the everyday garden Pied Wagtail, yet it crosses continents to reach British shores, breeds from Iceland to the Urals, and winters south of the Sahara. Give any open patch of ground a scan between March and May, and you may well find one running ahead of you, tail pumping, on its way north.

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