29-7-2026 COBH, IRELAND - PIED WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba ssp. yarrellii)

Motacilla alba yarrellii, commonly known as the pied wagtail or Yarrell's wagtail, is a small black, white, and grey passerine bird. It is a well-known subspecies of the white wagtail (Motacilla alba) that primarily breeds in Great Britain and Ireland.

The pied wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrellii) is a small, active black-and-white bird measuring about 18 cm long and weighing 17–25g. Famous for constantly pumping its long tail up and down, it is a common, year-round resident across Ireland and Britain, frequently found dashing across lawns, car parks, and urban areas.

Physical Traits

Appearance: Features a striking black back, a black crown and bib, contrasting white cheeks, and a bright white belly. Females often have a slightly greyer back than males.

Tail: Possesses a long, narrow black-and-white tail that is constantly pumped or "wagged" up and down.

Size: Measures about 16 to 19 cm in length with a wingspan of 25 to 30 cm, weighing roughly 17 to 28 grams.

Habitat and Behavior

Diet: Primarily feeds on insects, including flies, beetles, and caterpillars, running swiftly across open ground to catch prey.

Urban Adaptation: Highly comfortable around humans, frequently seen darting across lawns, paved carparks, and suburban rooftops.

Nesting: Builds nests in natural and artificial crevices, such as stone walls, rock faces, and building cavities.

Distribution and Migration

Range: Resident across much of Britain and Ireland. Birds in northern populations are migratory, moving south into Spain and North Africa for the winter, while southern populations tend to stay put year-round.

Roosting: Gathers in large communal winter roosts in city centers on buildings or in trees to stay warm.

Physical Traits and Identification

Plumage: Striking black-and-white design with a white face, black crown and back, and a white belly.

Flight: Distinctly undulating flight pattern, bouncing up and down through the air.

Lifespan: Typically lives for 2 years, though the oldest recorded wild individual lived over 11 years.

29-9-2016 MALDON, ESSEX - PIED WAGTAIL (Motacilla alba ssp. yarrellii)

The Pied Wagtail is a delightful small, long-tailed and rather sprightly black and white bird. When it's not standing and frantically wagging its tail up and down, it can be seen dashing about over lawns or car parks in search of food. It often calls during its bouncing flight and can be seen gathering at dusk to form large roosts in city centres.

A common and familiar bird, the pied wagtail is often seen in towns and cities, dashing across lawns, roads and car parks while wagging its long tail up and down. Pied wagtails eat insects, but will feed on seeds and even rubbish in winter. They flock together at warm roost sites like reedbeds and sewage works or trees and bushes in city centres. In summer, they defend breeding territories and will nest in ivy, under roofs, in walls, between stones ... in all kinds of places!

The pied wagtail is a familiar black-and-white bird, with a white face, white belly and white bars on the wings. The other two breeding species of wagtail in the UK both have yellow underparts.

Although they usually live life in the fast lane, the maximum recorded age for a pied wagtail is 11 years and 3 months.

They can be found across the UK, abandoning some of the highland and northern areas of Scotland in winter. They are commonly found near water, and can be found in most habitats, even town centers. Body warmth from congregating themselves on rooftops keeps the pied wagtails alive during the cold winter nights. They are practically, but not quite fully, an exclusively British bird. Pied wagtails don’t nest in the Channel Islands, but recently white wagtails started gaining popularity there. The pied/white wagtails are the most widespread breeding birds in Europe, breeding almost everywhere from Iceland and arctic Norway south to Andalucía and Sicily.

The pied wagtail is a familiar black-and-white bird, with a white face, white belly and white bars on the wings. The other two breeding species of wagtail in the UK both have yellow underparts.

Although they usually live life in the fast lane, the maximum recorded age for a pied wagtail is 11 years and 3 months.

They can be found across the UK, abandoning some of the highland and northern areas of Scotland in winter. They are commonly found near water, and can be found in most habitats, even town centers. Body warmth from congregating themselves on rooftops keeps the pied wagtails alive during the cold winter nights. They are practically, but not quite fully, an exclusively British bird. Pied wagtails don’t nest in the Channel Islands, but recently white wagtails started gaining popularity there. The pied/white wagtails are the most widespread breeding birds in Europe, breeding almost everywhere from Iceland and arctic Norway south to Andalucía and Sicily.

They typically stay in the UK. Those that live in the northern parts of the UK often migrate south of the UK in the winter, but they can go as far as North of Africa to avoid the cold months. They usually flock together. They need each other’s help more than ever, during the migration season.