Western Europe Birds & Birding (#48/52): From the Highland Willow Scrub of Scotland to the Aegean Islands within the Sea of Crete, Western Europe is residence to over 800 resident, migratory and vagrant birds. From songbirds to gamebirds and from waterfowl to raptors, you will discover birds just about in each nook and cranny of this lovely space. *All photographs showcased on this weblog sequence have been taken and edited by me.
A Reflections of the Pure World Weblog Submit Collection by Jim Achieve
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) are slender birds with a particular black and white face sample, black bib, pale grey to blackish again, and large white wing patches.
Bodily Traits:
The White Wagtail is a slender hen, recognizable by its lengthy, continuously wagging tail—a particular characteristic of its genus. Varied subspecies exist, differing in wing shade, again, head, and different options. Some even exhibit sexual dimorphism through the breeding season. The British and Irish type, referred to as the pied wagtail (M. a. yarrellii), exchanges the grey shade of the nominate type with black (or very darkish grey in females) however behaves equally. Throughout winter in India or Southeast Asia, as much as six subspecies could coexist, making identification difficult.
Food plan:
The White Wagtail is an insectivorous hen that thrives in open nation, usually close to human habitation and water. It prefers naked areas for feeding, permitting it to identify and pursue its prey successfully. In city environments, it has tailored to foraging on paved surfaces like automobile parks.
Abundance and Distribution:
White wagtails breed all through Eurasia, aside from the Arctic areas. Additionally they breed within the mountains of Morocco and western Alaska. Whereas they’re residents in milder elements of their vary (similar to western Europe and the Mediterranean), they change into migratory elsewhere. Northern European breeders winter across the Mediterranean and in tropical/subtropical Africa, whereas Asiatic birds transfer to the Center East, India, and Southeast Asia. Even the North American inhabitants winters in tropical Asia.
IUCN Crimson Listing Standing:
In response to the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the White Wagtail’s conservation standing is “Least Concern” (LC). At the moment, no direct threats to this species have been detected, though it could possibly be affected by common modifications sooner or later.
For extra info, you possibly can discover the IUCN Crimson Listing and study in regards to the conservation standing of assorted species.
WHITE WAGTAIL WAS LIFER #796
