31-5-2019 THORNTREE CAMP, ZAMBIA - AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL (Motacilla aguime)

The African pied wagtail, or African wagtail, (Motacilla aguimp) is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae.

The African pied wagtail is found in sub-Saharan Africa from the Eastern Cape north to extreme southern Egypt and from Guinea to western Eritrea and Somalia. It is a vagrant to Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mauritania and the Western Cape.

The African pied wagtail inhabits subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, rivers, and, sometimes, freshwater marshes. In some areas it is commensal with humans in towns and villages.

31-5-2019 THORNTREE CAMP, ZAMBIA - AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL (Motacilla aguime)

The African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp) is a distinctive black-and-white bird of sub-Saharan Africa, known for its energetic tail-wagging as it hunts insects on the ground near water or in towns, utilizing diverse nesting spots from reedbeds to human structures, and often feeding on insects, seeds, and even scraps, with both parents raising young in monogamous pairs. 

Appearance & Identification

Colors: Striking black, white, and grey-black plumage with a bold white eyebrow and wing panels.

Size: Around 18 cm long with a distinctive long tail that bobs constantly. 

Habitat & Diet

Habitat: Found near water (rivers, marshes) but thrives in human-altered areas like towns, gardens, and farms across tropical Africa.

Diet: Primarily insectivorous (flies, ants, grasshoppers, etc.) but also eats seeds, tadpoles, small fish, and human food scraps. 

20-5-2019 BUMI HILLS, ZIMBABWE - AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL (Motacilla aguime)

17-4-2018 CHOBE RIVER, BOTSWANA - AFRICAN PIED WAGTAIL (Motacilla aguimp)

The African pied wagtail, or African wagtail, (Motacilla aguimp) is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae.

A striking black and white wagtail with black upperparts contrasting with white underparts, it has a white supercilium and a white patch in the folded wing. Juvenile birds are greyer, while birds of the nominate subspecies show grey flanks. They are 20 cm (7.9 in) long.

The African pied wagtail is found in sub-Saharan Africa from the Eastern Cape north to extreme southern Egypt and from Guinea to western Eritrea and Somalia. It is a vagrant to Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mauritania, and the Western Cape.

The African pied wagtail inhabits subtropical or tropical, seasonally wet or flooded, lowland grassland, rivers, and sometimes freshwater marshes. In some areas, it is commensal with humans in towns and villages.

In Malawi, African pied wagtails start breeding before the rains and continue to breed into the rainy season; they breed during six months, peaking in March and October. Both the males and females participate in nest building, but only the females incubate, and both sexes feed the young. The mean clutch in Malawi was found to be 3.9 eggs.

The African pied wagtail is monogamous; the cup-shaped nest is lined with grass and feathers and is usually situated near water in a convenient tangle of sticks. In settlements, the nest may be located on buildings. The nests of the African pied wagtail are parasitised by the red-chested cuckoo Cuculus solitarius and the diderick cuckoo Chrysococcyx caprius. The chicks have been recorded as prey of Burchell's coucal Centropus burchellii.