Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
Order: PASSERIFORMES
Family: MOTACILLIDAE Pipits, Wagtails
Scientific name: Motacilla cinerea
English name: Grey Wagtail
Characteristic: Size 19 cm. A small, slender-bodied bird with long legs and tail; upperpart grey with distinct yellow rump patch; throat white; underpart varying in colour from whitish to pale yellow, under tail coverts yellow; a conspicuous white supercilium is always noticeable. In flight it can be recognized by having white mid-wing bands. In the breeding season, a male will acquire a black throat patch.
Distribution: Africa, Eurasia, Alaska, India, the Andamans, the Nicobars, China, Hainan, Taiwan, Southest Asia, the Sundas, the Philippines to New Guinea.
Habitat: Found in open grounds, open forest, especially those shady waterside spots; also among rocky shores of forest streams. In Sakaerat area, they will be seen foraging on roads passing through the dry evergreen and dry dipterocarp forests.
Habit: All our 5 species of indigenous wagtails are seasonal migrant that breed in China and Russia; and being also the first group of migratory birds to appear in the winter at almost all places near water. The most favorite sites consist of stream banks and open grounds, rocky shores, where a single individual is usually seen foraging on the ground by simple walking or making a short chase after insects, its staple diet; during this time it will keep on wagging its tail incessantly.
Status: As noted above, this bird is a seasonal migrant that will be uncommonly seen in Sakaerat area. It is a protected wild animal.
