Pipits and Wagtails (Motacillidae)
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) - HBW 9, p. 785
French: Bergeronnette des ruisseaux
German: Gebirgsstelze
Spanish: Lavandera Cascadeña
Taxonomy: Motacilla Cinerea Tunstall, 1771, no locality = Wycliffe, Yorkshire, England.
Relationships uncertain. Sometimes thought to form a superspecies with M. clara; possibly closer to E forms of M. flava. Variation clinal, tail length decreasing gradually from W to E, and E individuals on average darker, but differences relatively minor and much individual variation; E races melanope and robusta possibly better merged with nominate. Similarly, birds from Turkey, Caucasus and Iran sometimes treated as race caspica, but appear indistinguishable from nominate. Six subspecies tentatively recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- cinerea Tunstall, 1771 - British Is and N, W & S Fennoscandia S through much of W Europe to Iberia and islands in Mediterranean Sea, NW Africa (Morocco, N Algeria), Turkey, Caucasus and N & SW Iran.
- melanope Pallas, 1776 - breeds N Asia from Ural Mts E to C coast of Sea of Okhotsk, S to NW, N & E Mongolia and E China (S to S Gansu, S Shaanxi and Hebei); also in mountains from Tien Shan S to E Afghanistan and E along Himalayas; winters NE Africa and S & SE Asia.
- robusta (C. L. Brehm, 1857) - breeds extreme E Asia from E Russia (S & C Kamchatka and Amurland) S to Korea and Japan; winters S to Sundas and New Guinea.
- cinerea Tunstall, 1771 - British Is and N, W & S Fennoscandia S through much of W Europe to Iberia and islands in Mediterranean Sea, NW Africa (Morocco, N Algeria), Turkey, Caucasus and N & SW Iran.
- melanope Pallas, 1776 - breeds N Asia from Ural Mts E to C coast of Sea of Okhotsk, S to NW, N & E Mongolia and E China (S to S Gansu, S Shaanxi and Hebei); also in mountains from Tien Shan S to E Afghanistan and E along Himalayas; winters NE Africa and S & SE Asia.
- robusta (C. L. Brehm, 1857) - breeds extreme E Asia from E Russia (S & C Kamchatka and Amurland) S to Korea and Japan; winters S to Sundas and New Guinea.
- patriciae Vaurie, 1957 - Azores (Furnas, São Miguel).
- schmitzi Tschusi, 1900 - Madeira.
- canariensis Hartert, 1901 - Canary Is.
- Least Concern
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A female flycatching from a rubbish bin Doi Suthep National Park, North Western Thailand, Thailand (ssp robusta)
Josep del Hoyo 10 November 2004 3 years ago 35 sec 4.6 -
A juvenile on a rock in a river, wagging its tail The Pyrenees, France (ssp cinerea)
Julien Rochefort 30 June 2006 3 years ago 30 sec 4.6 -
An adult male singing Somiedo Natural Park, Asturias, Spain
Javier Ortas 11 July 2009 1 year ago 30 sec 4.5 -
A female looking for food among rubbish Doi Suthep National Park, North Western Thailand, Thailand (ssp robusta)
Josep del Hoyo 10 November 2004 3 years ago 35 sec 4.4 -
A female on a litter can, rubbing its bill and wagging its tail Doi Suthep National Park, North Western Thailand, Thailand (ssp robusta)
Josep del Hoyo 10 November 2004 3 years ago 30 sec 4.4 -
A male collecting nest material Sitti Fatma Streams, Morocco (ssp cinerea)
Josep del Hoyo 18 May 2006 3 years ago 35 sec 4.1
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In a pond Arakhiya Farm, Qatar
John A Thompson 2 April 2009 10 weeks ago 4.4 -
A bird on a rock.ISO 100200mm Kocaeli, Turkey
ademyagiz 10 December 2008 1 year ago 4.3 -
This wild bird was photographed in the Zoo near Breña Alta. La Palma, Canary Islands (ssp canariensis)
Gerard Visser 29 September 2006 4 weeks ago ADDED LAST MONTH 4 -
A migrant from the Himalayas The Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu, India
vasanthan.p.j 20 November 2009 40 weeks ago 3.7 -
First winter perched Teich Bird Reserve, Gironde, Aquitanie, France
Nicole Bouglouan 14 August 2004 1 week ago ADDED LAST MONTH 3.4 -
A female on the ground. Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Ernakulam District, Kerala, India (ssp melanope)
Josep del Hoyo 30 November 2009 28 weeks ago 3.3
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Calls in flight London, England, UK
(ssp cinerea)
Stuart Fisher 27 October 2009 44 weeks ago 4 -
Calls of a bird flying away.
Valinku River Fishing Camp, Primorsky Krai, Russia (Eastern)
(ssp robusta)
Josep del Hoyo 17 June 2009 16 weeks ago 3
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