White Wagtail
Motacilla alba
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyMotacillidae (Wagtails and Pipits)
- GenusMotacilla (Wagtails)
- SpeciesMotacilla alba (White Wagtail)
The white wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in the Palearctic zone in most of Europe and Asia and parts of North Africa; it also has a toehold in western Alaska as a scarce breeder. It is resident in the mildest parts of its range, but otherwise migrates to Africa. In total, there are between 9 and 11 subspecies of M. alba; in Ireland and Great Britain, the black-backed subspecies known as the pied wagtail (M. a. yarrellii) predominates. The white wagtail is an insectivorous bird of open country, often near habitation and water. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Horton Plains National Park
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinerea
Citrine Wagtail
Motacilla citreola
Oriental Pipit
Anthus rufulus
Forest Wagtail
Dendronanthus indicus
Blyth's Pipit
Anthus godlewskii
Richard's Pipit
Anthus richardi
Sri Lanka White-eye
Zosterops ceylonensis
Pied Bushchat
Saxicola caprata
Yellow-eared Bulbul
Pycnonotus penicillatus
Hill Swallow
Hirundo domicola
Dull-blue Flycatcher
Eumyias sordidus
Large-billed Crow
Corvus macrorhynchos
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of White Wagtail at Horton Plains National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there