This species breeds in much of temperate Europe and Asia. It is resident in the milder parts of its range, such as western Europe, but northern and eastern populations migrate to Africa and south Asia.
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.
This insectivorousbird inhabits open country near water, such as wet meadows. It nests in tussocks, laying 4–8 speckled eggs.
Systematicsedit
Motacilla is the Latin name for the wagtail; although actually a diminutive of motare, " to move about", from medieval times it led to the misunderstanding of cilla as "tail". The specific flava is Latin for golden-yellow.[3]
This species' systematics and phylogeny is extremely confusing. Dozens of subspecies have been described at one time or another, and some 15-20 are currently considered valid depending on which author reviews them. In addition, the citrine wagtail (M. citreola) forms a cryptic species complex with this bird;[4][page needed] both taxa as conventionally delimited are paraphyletic in respect to each other. The populations of the Beringian region are sometimes separated as eastern yellow wagtail (M. tschutschensis).
M. f. feldegg Michahelles, 1830 – black-headed wagtail
Like thunbergi but black cap in males, females like a dull thunbergi male above, very washed-out dirty yellowish below, throat white.
Breeding: Balkans east to the Caspian Sea, south to Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan; also Levant. Winter: central Africa from Nigeria to Uganda and south Sudan.
M. f. lutea (S. G. Gmelin, 1774) – yellow-headed wagtail
Head yellow with green neck in males, females like a somewhat more vivid flava female.
Like flava but head lighter grey, ears washed white; sexes often similar.
Breeding: North of lutea, east to Ladakh area. Winter: Indian subcontinent, also east Africa and adjacent Arabia.
M. f. leucocephala (Przevalski, 1887) – white-headed yellow wagtail
Male like flava, but grey of head very pale, almost white. Female like flava females, but head somewhat darker.
Breeding: North-west Mongolia and adjacent China and Russia. Winter: probably India.
The nominate blue-headed wagtail and yellow wagtail form a narrow hybrid zone in northern France. Birds from this zone vary in appearance, but one type, which resembles nominate blue-headed wagtail (except that the blue tones to the head are paler and more mauve and the white of the head is more extensive, particularly on the throat, ear-coverts, and supercilium) is colloquially referred to as Channel wagtail.
In cultureedit
In the Pyramid Texts of Old KingdomEgypt, the yellow wagtail was considered a representation of Atum himself and might have been the first inspiration for the Bennu bird, which, in turn, is the supposed inspiration for the phoenix of Greek mythology.[5]
Cuculus canorus canorus in a clutch of Motacilla flava - MHNT
Referencesedit
^BirdLife International (2019). "Motacilla flava". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T103822349A155602678. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T103822349A155602678.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. pp. 160, 261. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
^Salvador, Rodrigo B. (2015). "Egyptian mythology in the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona games". Journal of Greek Studies. 2 (2): 8–32.
Sourcesedit
Voelker, Gary (2002). "Systematics and historical biogeography of wagtails: Dispersal versus vicariance revisited". Condor. 104 (4): 725–739. doi:10.1650/0010-5422(2002)104[0725:SAHBOW]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 85844839.
Wiles, Gary J.; et al. (2000). "Noteworthy Bird Records for Micronesia, with a Summary of Raptor Sightings in the Mariana Islands, 1988-1999". Micronesica. 32 (2): 257–284.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Motacilla flava.
Ageing and sexing (PDF; 4.2 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze
Oiseaux Images
Western yellow wagtail – Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.