White wagtail brief information. Wagtail: photo of a bird. Characteristics of the white wagtail

(Motacilla alba) is a small slender bird, half of whose total length is in the tail. The wagtail constantly swings and “shakes” its long tail – hence its name.

In the breeding (spring-summer) plumage, the white wagtail has a large black spot on the throat and chest and a black cap on the crown, sharply contrasting with the white forehead and cheeks. The belly is grayish-white, the tail is black, but the outer tail feathers (edges of the tail) are white, which is especially noticeable when the bird flies or flies from the ground. In the autumn plumage, the black color of the white wagtail remains on the crop in the form of a wide semi-lunar stripe.

Coloring features - mainly the location and size of the black areas in the plumage - vary depending on which geographical form the bird belongs to. There are 14 such forms throughout the species’ vast range. But white wagtails do not have sexual dimorphism - the male and female are almost indistinguishable in appearance.

These birds spend most of their time on the ground, running with quick mincing steps and making characteristic lunges after insects, sometimes flying up to a small height after them. They especially love dense, flat soil - asphalt, well-trodden paths, wet sand, etc.

In the diet of white wagtails, a large role is played by semi-aquatic invertebrates - stoneflies, mayflies, mosquitoes, beetles, flies, caterpillars and butterflies, spiders, less often - small crustaceans and dragonflies, and sometimes seeds.

The white wagtail nests throughout Europe from the Barents to the Mediterranean Sea, in a large part of Asia: to the north - to Yamal and Taimyr, along the shores of the Arctic Ocean, in Chukotka and Kamchatka (as well as in America - in western Alaska), in Japan, on parts of the territory of China and part of India, and also in Africa (up to the Orange River).

In the northern and central regions of their distribution, white wagtails are migratory birds. They winter in Africa, southern Asia, and southwestern Europe. Birds nesting in India and Africa lead a sedentary lifestyle.

In the central zone, wagtails arrive from wintering grounds early - as soon as small rivers near the banks are free of ice, forming edges. At this time, small flocks of them stay in thawed areas near the water's edge or on the edge of ice that has slightly moved away from the shores - the birds collect insects and other invertebrates that are still few in number. At this time, they can also be found along the thawed sides of rural roads and railway embankments, near livestock farms, in populated areas, etc.

In the Moscow region, the first white wagtails appear in late March–early April. After a week or two, when mass migration begins, they can be found everywhere in their favorite habitats. Wagtails arrive in large flocks, up to 100 birds, and in relatively small ones - up to 15–20 individuals, both in pairs and alone. Having arrived, wagtails soon split into pairs and occupy nesting areas. Males begin to display in the vicinity of the future nesting site. They often sing, sitting on wires or poles, on the ridges of roofs.

White wagtails do not have an actual nesting area, or rather it is very small and, in extreme cases, is limited to the location of the nest. This is clearly demonstrated by the owner of the site himself. The singing male zealously defends his possessions from other males, but these possessions of his are only the place where the nest is located, its immediate surroundings. He is not at all interested in males that appear at some distance from the nest.

In addition to singing, which can be heard almost constantly at this time, males court females. The displaying male crouches and bows, spreads his tail like a fan, spreads his wings or lowers one of them, and describes circles around the female watching all this.

Nest construction begins a month after arrival, sometimes later. To place nests, piles of brushwood and logs of firewood, roots of uprooted trees, depressions in cliffs and pit walls, hollows of half-dried trees, old mill dams, etc. are used.

An important, although not the only factor, is the proximity of water - a river, lake, or at least a pond or even a large puddle. Wagtails readily inhabit coastal cliffs of seas and rivers, rocky shores and muddy areas, grassy terraces with willow thickets, especially if there are sand spits, islands, bare areas and areas devoid of vegetation and convenient for searching and hunting for insects nearby.

White wagtails also like to nest near human habitation, clearly gravitating towards the cultural landscape. They can be found on the busiest streets of large cities, in industrial complexes, at airports among airliners and hangars, on railway bridges, etc. Everywhere these birds are not timid and allow a person to come within a few steps, without ceasing to catch insects. In large cities, they are especially willing to settle on low-grass lawns near large asphalt-covered areas, especially if there are young fir trees nearby, in the branches of which they make a nest. But even more attractive for wagtails are areas covered with small concrete slabs and herbaceous plants growing through the cracks, attracting numerous insects - shepherd's purse, pigweed, daisies, knotweed, etc.

Settlements, industrial and transport complexes, bridges and livestock farms provide wagtails with an unlimited number of places for nesting - their nests can be found under metal and slate roofs, in niches from fallen bricks and pulled out beams, in stacks of pipes, in crevices of granite embankments, in prepared for the removal of piles of scrap metal and other similar places.

The white wagtail's nest looks like a shallow bowl, casually assembled from stems and leaves, with a tray lined with horsehair and wool. The clutch contains 5–6 white eggs with grayish markings. In the northern regions, wagtails have one clutch per summer, and in the southern regions - two or even three.

Incubation lasts about two weeks from the moment the fifth egg is laid. The male feeds the brooding female, and later feeds the hatched chicks with her. Feeding the chicks in the nest continues for two weeks, with both parents flying to them with food up to 300 times a day. The young leave the nest still flightless, and their parents feed them. The broods unite in flocks and begin flying to their wintering grounds in August. Juveniles are easily distinguished by their grayish uppertail with a blackish rump, grayish with buffy throat, craw, chest and sides of the head.

Together with humans, wagtails penetrate into the most remote places of the taiga, settling on the roofs of hunting huts and tourist shelters. Clearings and burning areas also contribute to the movement of white wagtails into continuous forests, especially if there are small streams and rivers there. In mountains and deserts, wagtails nest in stone and adobe buildings of shepherds, abandoned villages and wintering camps for livestock.

White wagtails live well in captivity, living peacefully with other birds and not showing fear towards humans. L.B. Boehme recommends them for keeping living corners of schools. A cage measuring 60-30-40 cm is quite suitable for these birds. In the cage, wagtails spend a lot of time jumping on perches (in nature, on the contrary, you more often see them running on the ground).

An open titmouse in which wagtails can nest: 1 – perch; 2 – hinged cover

More comfortable conditions for keeping wagtails can be created in an aviary. The optimal dimensions of the enclosure are 3 m long and 1–2 m wide. The aviary should be adjacent to a winter room, where artificial lighting in winter will allow the birds to receive additional food. You can build a shallow pond made of plexiglass into the enclosure, the edges of which would be nice to plant with moss. The enclosure must be dry and not flooded with rain.

White wagtails are fed a mixture for insectivorous birds. In addition to it, they give grated cheese, steamed and minced beef heart and liver, and fish. All this mixes well with the main food. During the non-nesting period, you can give crushed locusts, moth larvae and other insects. Every day you need to offer fresh, well-chopped greens, and occasionally a few berries.

Breeding wagtails in captivity is not difficult. Suitable materials for making a nest include thin twigs, roots, blades of grass, moss and animal hair; For lining, combed dog hair is very good, rather the undercoat, which usually remains on the comb.

With the appearance of the chicks, immediately on the day of hatching, double, and on the third day after hatching, triple the amount of finely chopped mealworms added to the food. At the same time, add small locusts, moths or wood ant larvae to the food. Birds should be given food three to five times a day. Start giving insect larvae when the chicks reach the age of 5–6 days, not earlier. It is necessary to wash the larvae well before giving them to the birds. Vitamins and minerals should be added to the feed.

(Motacilla flava) slightly smaller than white. The male in breeding plumage has a bluish-gray forehead, crown, nape and top of the neck, a yellowish-green back, a whitish throat, and a bright yellow belly. Yellowish transverse stripes on the black wings are characteristic; the outer white tail feathers in the black tail are striking. The female, unlike the male, has a greenish-brown top of the head and vague streaks on the chest, and the yellow color of the belly is dim. In winter, both the female and the male have a grayish-brownish back and head, and the belly is yellowish-white.

The nesting area of the yellow wagtail covers northern Africa, Asia (with the exception of the southeast, extreme south and north), Europe (from the shores of the Barents Sea to the Mediterranean), North America (west of Alaska). These birds winter in tropical and southern Africa and Asia.

The yellow wagtail prefers meadow and marshy habitats, sometimes with sparse shrubs and woodlands. Unlike white wagtails, these birds are timid and fly away when a person appears. The diet of yellow wagtails is dominated by flies, small beetles and other insects, which the birds collect from the ground or, jumping, peck from plants.

Yellow wagtails appear on nesting sites in mid-April. Adult, brightly colored males arrive first. Females appear a week later, and their appearance coincides with the beginning of the mass migration, which ends by the end of the first ten days - mid-May.

The males who arrived first occupy the nesting areas and guard them, driving away competitors. Sometimes yellow wagtails settle in small groups, up to 6 pairs per group, with a distance between nests of about 100 m. The distance between two such groups can reach half a kilometer.

A.S. Malchevsky, describing the current of yellow wagtails, emphasizes that the singing male flies over the tops of the bushes, sometimes gliding, sometimes flapping his wings rapidly. At the same time, he hunches over, showing the yellow color of the underside of the body.

Yellow wagtails begin breeding when grass begins to grow in the meadows they inhabit. During large floods, birds wait 2–3 weeks for the water to recede. The female looks for a place for a nest, and she builds it in a dug hole under the cover of a tuft of grass, a tubercle or a hummock. It takes about 5 days to build a nest. Fast-growing grass covers the nest and camouflages it well. At this time, the male sings intensely on the perches and guards the female. At the first danger, it emits alarming cries, which attract birds from neighboring areas. Sitting on the bushes, they begin to scream loudly, distracting the enemy outside the danger zone.

The yellow wagtail's nest is a loose cup-shaped structure of dry stems, roots and leaves lined with wool and horsehair, sometimes covered with greenery on top. The clutch contains 5–6 white eggs with a greenish tint, mottled with dark markings.

After laying the last egg, the female incubates the clutch for 13 days. After the chicks hatch, she stays in the nest for a week, warming them, and then joins in feeding them. Both parents bring 7–10 servings of food to the chicks every hour. At the age of 11–12 days, the chicks leave the nests and hide nearby. At 16–18 days, the fledglings are already flying well, and the parents begin their second clutch at the end of June. The young migrate to coastal reeds and overgrown shores of water bodies, where they unite in pre-migration flocks.

The yellow wagtail is quite suitable for keeping in cages, although it is rarely seen among hobbyists. The conditions for its maintenance and breeding in captivity are generally the same as for the white wagtail. It is only necessary to plant half of the enclosure with tall grass: the yellow wagtail avoids nesting sites arranged for it by humans. And one more thing: it is better to keep different types of wagtails separately to avoid crossing.

A small bird lives in our country (and not only in ours) - the white wagtail. What kind of birdie is this, what makes it remarkable and why it was called that - our article today is about all this.

There is a bird in the wagtail family for which people have come up with many of their own names: pliska, bluebird, roly-poly, icebreaker.

These are the different words used to describe the white wagtail, a small, agile bird. Its habitat is North Africa and most of the Eurasian continent. From the cold polar deserts to China and India you can find this little bird. Lives permanently in the temperate zone, only occasionally wandering in search of food. But from colder places for the winter it flies to South Africa and to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

Why was she called that?

The bird is from the passerine order, and therefore looks a bit like a sparrow. The body of a white wagtail is only about 20 cm long. Its outfit is beautiful: it is all gray, but its belly is bright white, and there is a black spot on its chest, like an apron. The same spot is on the small white head, resembling a cap. The eyes are black, round, like small beads. In males, the coloring is more pronounced and distinct.

The bird constantly twitches and shakes its long tail - hence its name. And she also constantly moves quickly on her springy, chiseled legs.

Lifestyle of the white wagtail

The white wagtail loves the body and always takes “baths” with pleasure.

The wagtail flies to its native land with the first signs of spring. People have long noticed that with the arrival of this bird we must wait for the ice to break up in the rivers. Often on the river during ice drift you can see the following picture: among the huge breaking ice floes, a small bird jumps, flies, whistles, shakes its tail. So they say “the tail breaks the ice.”

In the first puddles, the wagtail arranges cold baths for itself. Sometimes in the morning the puddle will be covered with ice. The bird jumps on it, swings its tail, flaps its wings, exactly like a ballerina.
As soon as the ice melts under the sun's rays, it plops down into a puddle, not being afraid of the icy water. Or he runs around, looking for bugs in the melted earth.

In addition to beetles, white wagtails feed on caddis flies, and occasionally on berries and fruits. But the main food is flying insects such as midges, small flies, mosquitoes, and butterflies. She feeds on them on the fly.

Listen to the voice of the white wagtail

Birds try to stay in open spaces near water bodies, because there are more flying insects there. They can also often be found near human habitation. In populated areas, wagtails build their nests in stacks of logs, in woodpiles, in cracks and recesses in walls, and under the roof. Some researchers note that these birds now nest in cities much more willingly than in the wild.

How do wagtails reproduce?

After arrival, the flock splits into pairs.

During the mating season, males show off, their song resembles a variety of chirps. But the most interesting thing is the mating dance. The male spreads both wings or one. Draws circles around the female with its wing. At the same time, the tail is fluffed up, constantly in motion, and it seems that he is dancing and bowing.

Then they begin to build a nest from dry small twigs, grass and fluff. Wherever you can see the nest of these birds! In a pile of dead wood, under the roots of upturned trees, in free hollows, in rock crevices, between stones, and even just in heaps of garbage. Both carry materials for the nest, but only the female builds it.

Chicks are hatched twice: in early spring and in summer, in June. The female lays 5, sometimes 6 white eggs with grayish spots in the nest. The female incubates the eggs for 2 weeks without leaving the nest. The male feeds her at this time. Both parents are already looking for food to feed the chicks.

Wagtails (Motacilla) are representatives of the genus of songbirds belonging to the wagtail family and the passerine order. The amazing singing feathered creature is a symbol of Latvia, symbolizing prosperity and good luck in many countries.

Description of the wagtail

Motacilla has relatively few noticeable differences from any other representatives belonging to the wagtail family. The tail is long and narrow, straight cut, with two middle feathers that are slightly longer than the side feathers. The very first flight feather is noticeably shorter than the second and third feathers. Characteristically, there is a slightly curved claw on the back toe.

Appearance

Representatives of the genus owe their name to the peculiarities of their tail movements. The characteristics of the external description depend on the main species characteristics of the wagtail:

Piebald wagtail- a bird with a body length of 19.0-20.5 cm, with a wing length of 8.4-10.2 cm and a tail length of no more than 8.3-9.3 cm. The upper part of the body is predominantly black, and the throat and chin are white;
White wagtail- a bird with an elongated tail and a body length of 16-19 cm. Gray color predominates on the upper part of the body, and white feathers on the lower part. The throat and cap are black;
Mountain wagtail- the owner of a medium-sized body and a long tail. The appearance of the bird is similar to the description of the yellow wagtail, and the main difference is the presence of white “sides”, clearly contrasting with the bright yellow chest area and undertail;
Yellow-headed wagtail- a slender-looking bird with a maximum body length of no more than 15-17 cm with a wingspan of 24-28 cm. In general, its color resembles a yellow wagtail.

The smallest representatives of the genus are the Yellow Wagtails, or pliskies, whose body length is no more than 15-16 cm and weighs about 16-17 g.

Character and lifestyle

Each of the adult individuals has its own territory, within which it hunts prey. If there is no food within the area, then the bird goes in search of a new place, and when it appears there, it announces its arrival with a loud cry. If the owner of the territory does not respond to this cry, then the bird begins to hunt.

Wagtails by nature are completely uncharacteristic of aggressiveness, but when defending the borders of its territory, such a bird is quite capable of attacking even its own reflection, which often causes the death of the bird. Representatives of the genus settle in flocks that are quite small in number of individuals, and when a predator appears on the territory, all the birds fearlessly rush at it to protect the boundaries of their territory.

This is interesting! The bird is notified of the timing of its flight to the south by hormones produced by the bird’s pituitary gland, and the length of daylight hours triggers the mechanism of “bird migratory behavior.”

Representatives of the genus arrive in early spring along with numerous lapwings. During this period, a sufficient number of mosquitoes have not yet appeared, and other insects are practically not visible, so wagtails try to stay close to rivers, where water appears on coastal areas and broken ice floes. It is in such places that various aquatic life “dries up”.

How long do wagtails live?

The average observed life expectancy of representatives of the genus in nature is approximately ten years, but when properly kept in captivity, such birds often live a couple of years longer.

Sexual dimorphism

Noticeably pronounced dimorphism is immediately observed in some species. For example, males of the species Black-headed Wagtail during the mating season have a velvet-black color on the top of the head, the frenulum and the top of the neck, and sometimes the front of the back. A young bird after molting in the fall is similar in appearance to females. The color of male mountain wagtails during the breeding season is represented mainly by gray tones along the upper part of the entire body, and has a yellow color on the lower part, and the neck is very contrasting, black.

Wagtail species

Known species of representatives of the genus Wagtail:

M. feldegg, or Black-headed Wagtail;
M. aguimp Dumont, or Pied Wagtail;
M. alba Linnaeus, or White Wagtail;
M. capensis Linnaeus, or Cape Wagtail;
M. cinerea Tunstall, or Mountain Wagtail with subspecies M.c. cinerea Tunstall, M.c. melanope Pallas, M.c. robusta, M.c. patriciae Vaurie, M.c. schmitzi Tschusi and M.c. canariensis;
M. citreola Pallas, or Yellow-headed Wagtail, with the subspecies Motacilla citreola citreola and Motacilla citreola qassatrix;
M. clara Sharpe, or Long-tailed Wagtail;
M. flava Linnaeus, or Yellow Wagtail with subspecies M.f. flava, M.f. flavissima, M.f. Thunbergi, M.f. iberiae, M.f. cinereocapilla, M.f. pygmaea, M.f. Feldegg, M.f. lutea, M.f. Beema, M.f. melanogrisea, M.f. plexa, M.f. tschutschensis, M.f. angarensis, M.f. leucocephala, M.f. Taivana, M. f. macronyx and M.f. simillima;
M. flaviventris Hartlaub, or Madagascar wagtail;
M. grandis Sharpe, or Japanese wagtail;
M. lugens Gloger, or Kamchatka wagtail;
M. madaraspatensis J. F. Gmelin, or White-browed wagtail.

In total, about fifteen species of wagtails are known, living in Europe, Asia and Africa. Five species are found in the CIS - white, yellow-backed and yellow, as well as yellow-headed and mountain wagtail. For residents of the central zone of our country, representatives of the White Wagtail species are more familiar.

Range, habitats

Most species of wagtails are found in Europe, but the Yellow Wagtail is sometimes classified as a special genus (Budytes). The numerous black-headed wagtail is an inhabitant of wet meadows and lake shores overgrown with sparse reeds or tall grass with sparse shrubs. The sedentary bird Pied Wagtail often settles near human habitation, only in African countries south of the Sahara. The yellow wagtail, or pliska, which lives in vast areas of Asia and Europe, Alaska and Africa, has become widespread throughout almost the entire Palearctic zone.

White wagtails nest mainly in Europe and Asia, as well as North Africa, but representatives of the species may also be found in Alaska. The mountain wagtail is a typical inhabitant of all of Eurasia, and a significant part of the population regularly winters only in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia. Birds of this species try to stick to semi-aquatic biotopes, giving preference to the banks of streams and rivers, damp meadows and swamps.

In summer, the yellow-headed wagtail nests in fairly wet meadows in Siberia and in the tundra, but with the onset of winter the bird migrates to the territory of South Asia. The long-tailed wagtail, or mountain wagtail, characteristically has a wide range in Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, including Angola and Botswana, Burundi and Cameroon. All representatives of the species inhabit the banks of forest turbulent streams within the subtropics or tropical dry forest zones, and are also found in the humid subtropics or tropics of mountain forests.

Wagtail diet

Absolutely all representatives belonging to the Wagtail family feed exclusively on insects, and birds are able to catch them even while flying. The birds feed very unusually, and the caught butterflies first have their wings torn off one by one, after which the prey is quickly eaten. Wagtails often choose the banks of water bodies for hunting, where their prey can be the larvae of small mollusks or caddisflies.

Wagtails feed primarily on small dipterous insects, including mosquitoes and flies, which are easily swallowed by birds. In addition, representatives of the genus quite willingly eat all kinds of beetles and caddis flies. Sometimes such small birds can afford to eat small berries or plant seeds.

This is interesting! Small birds are of great benefit - wagtails very willingly feed near grazing areas of domestic or wild ungulates and eat horse flies, as well as many other blood-sucking and annoying insects directly from their backs.

The pliska's diet includes various small invertebrate animals in the form of spiders and bedbugs, stoneflies and coleoptera, flies and ichneumon wasps, caterpillars and butterflies, mosquitoes and ants. Insectivorous birds, as a rule, search for their prey only on the ground, moving very quickly and easily among the grass.

The wagtail is the national symbol of Latvia. In addition, this particular bird was chosen as the symbol of 2011 by the Russian Conservation Union. According to the superstition, if someone lives in your house wagtail bird, it will bring good luck. Put together a house and hang it in the yard, then with a high degree of probability the bird will become your neighbor.

It is impossible to confuse the wagtail with other birds and you can watch with emotion how it runs not far from bodies of water on long and thin legs and shakes its tail in search of water. If it suddenly notices a person approaching, it begins to chirp and quickly flies away.

The bird's tail constantly moves both while moving and when stopping. Hence the name - wagtail, i.e. shakes its tail (an ancient name for the back part of an animal, bird and human).

Features and habitat of the wagtail

The wagtail family has five genera. They all vary quite a bit in appearance and coloring. The difference in the color scheme of males and females is weakly expressed or absent altogether. But the chicks are very different in color from their parents.

Wagtails are small, harmoniously built, weighing up to 30 grams and have a length of about 20 cm. With the help of long and thin legs, which are covered with small scales, and fingers with sharp claws, they run well on the ground. They have a straight, thin beak of medium size, pointed at the end.

Top and bottom of a small head white wagtail spots are located, black in color. The plumage is black and white, the back is gray. There are two white stripes on each dark wing.

White wagtail

Yellow wagtail Not unlike the white one, it is slightly smaller, has yellow-green plumage and breeds in North America.

Yellow wagtail

The range of wagtails is very large. This bird is distributed throughout almost the entire territory of Eurasia, it is even found in some areas of Alaska and North Africa. Wagtails settle in open areas near water bodies.

Wagtails are very brave. Seeing an enemy, they flock from all nearby territories and together pursue the predator, emitting an incessant cry. With their voice they let other birds know about the danger. Sometimes other birds can be seen with them.

Wagtails that live in Southern and Eastern Africa (there are only four species) lead a sedentary lifestyle, the rest are migratory birds. Birds of northern Europe spend the cold season in the southern and western parts of the continent, northern Africa, and also in southern Asia, choosing a warmer climate.

They begin to fly to warmer regions from the beginning until the end of autumn. They gather in small flocks and move at night and at dawn, most often along water bodies. At the very beginning of spring they return to their native lands.

As soon as the ice begins to melt on the rivers, small flocks of wagtails can be observed on the ice of reservoirs or on their banks. are also beginning to appear in populated areas. Sometimes wagtails form numerous noisy gatherings when they gather for the night in early spring or early autumn.

Very rarely, wagtails remain for the winter in their homes and do not fly to warmer climes. In winter, the bird spends all its time in search of food. Indeed, in order to provide the body with the necessary energy at this time of year, it needs to eat one insect every 4-5 seconds.

Wagtail food

When a bird appears in an unfamiliar place, it makes itself known loudly. If the owner of the site is announced, he flies away and does not enter into conflict. If no one responds, she begins to look for food for herself.

Your possessions wagtail constantly flies around in search of prey. She drives out her uninvited relatives, especially when there is little food. During winter, birds that do not own their own territory may unite and hunt together.

Wagtails mainly eat caterpillars, sometimes small invertebrates, small crustaceans, and very rarely seeds and plants. She quickly moves along the ground and, having caught the victim, does not run after other fleeing frightened insects. The bird moves to another place.

Later, the wagtail returns and catches the others as they emerge from their hiding places. If a flying insect is encountered, the bird begins to chase it and sometimes performs very complex tricks in the air. Horseflies and bloodsuckers can also be part of the wagtail's diet.

By eating them in farmyards, the bird undoubtedly benefits the farm. Generous wagtails, if there is a lot of food, allow other birds to hunt together. The guest has to run after the owner and catch the remaining insects.

Reproduction and lifespan of the wagtail

About a month after returning from wintering, the wagtails begin their mating season. The color of the male acquires a more contrasting color and he tries to attract a girlfriend; he begins to bow, crouch, spread his tail, spread his wings, and walk around his chosen one.

The next stage is the construction of a home. Wagtail nests can be found in a variety of places, these can be tree hollows, rock crevices, ditches, stacks of firewood, piles of stones, under roofs, tree roots.

The nest is a carelessly constructed shallow bowl with a diameter of about 15 cm, consisting of leaves and stems of plants, animal hair, straws, strings and other available material.

Birds lay eggs twice: in April and June. The female lays 4–8 whitish eggs, which are covered with small gray dots and reddish lines and spots. After about two weeks, completely helpless chicks are born, fed by both parents. After the babies are born, the eggshells are removed from the nest.

In the photo there are wagtail chicks

Another 14 days after birth, the chicks develop plumage and after a few days they already crawl out of the nest and sit near it. Some compassionate people pick up small gray shaggy chicks because they consider them sick or fallen out of their homes. This must not be done under any circumstances, as it will lead to their death.

At the end of summer, all the young animals unite into one flock and begin to roam around the gardens and meadows. With the onset of autumn, the birds grow up and become completely independent. Wagtail parents are very brave and fearless when protecting their family.

They can rush or lead away from the nest, cats, kites and other animals that are presented to the kids. An interesting fact is that she often throws her eggs into the nest of wagtails and they are forced to feed her young. The lifespan of a wagtail is up to 10 years. In captivity, a bird can live a maximum of 12 years.

In everyday life, people are surrounded by a wide variety of different and amazing things. They differ in their color, habits, and lifestyle. Among them there is also a nondescript gray migratory bird, which is no different from all the others, called the wagtail. The bird is classified as a songbird.

White wagtail

Amazing feathered wagtail found everywhere. Basically, its habitats are located closer to water. But it happens that these birds can also be found in places remote from water bodies.

Fields, pastures located next to residential buildings and large new buildings, places high in the mountains are also their frequent habitats. Wagtails are divided into 4 species, but the most common and popular among them is considered white wagtail.

Wagtail bird only at first glance it appears to be an inconspicuous and primitive creature. In fact, it is a symbol of Latvia. For many people, this bird symbolizes good luck and prosperity. And the one in whose house she settled must be very lucky in some way.

Yellow wagtail

This bird is quite easy to distinguish from all its other brethren. It has a very narrow black beak, a black breast and a black cap on its head. The feathers on top of the bird are gray.

The underside of the bird is white. The wings alternate between grey, brown and white. The wings have a sharp end. They rest on a long black tail. We can say about the feathered legs that they are thin and long.

This helps the bird to easily look for prey among the grass. Button-black eyes are framed by a white mask. The size of the bird does not exceed the size of an ordinary sparrow.

Although visually it may seem that they are much larger. This is because wagtails have longer limbs than sparrows. The bird weighs no more than 30 g, its length is about 20 cm.

Red-breasted Wagtail

The color of the white wagtail is dominated by more white and gray tones. Yellow wagtail slightly different from its white relative in its color. Description: yellow wagtail has a more yellow color.

This is especially noticeable among males. The birds received such a strange name due to the constant movement of their tail. He does not stop moving even when the birds are completely calm.

Features and habitat

Places with a temperate and warm climate are the favorite habitats of the white wagtail. It is found in Europe, Africa and Asia. In warm places they lead a sedentary lifestyle. Other wagtails migrate to these same places from places with cold climates.

The habitats of the yellow wagtail approximately coincide with the habitats of the white one. Only their lifestyle and behavior are somewhat different. The arrival of the yellow wagtail from cold places is observed much later than its white relative.

Immediately after the flight, she begins to work closely on building a nest. Birds also have some differences regarding their nests. The fact is that the white wagtail has less fear of people.

The bird builds its nests directly on the surface of the earth under hummocks or in the grass. The yellow wagtail is more careful in this regard; its nest is located in more secluded places.

Male wagtails always carefully guard their nests. When they contain eggs, their vigilance doubles. As soon as a potential enemy approaches the nest, the birds begin to scream heart-rendingly, warning everyone around them from danger and trying to scare away the enemy.

In terms of protecting their nest and offspring, wagtails show incredible courage. They are so bold that they can pounce on a bird of prey without hesitation. They are among the very first to arrive to us. Therefore, wagtails have the right to be called harbingers of spring.

These birds do not like dense forests. Basically they prefer to settle in open forests. But among them there is a species whose nests can only be seen in the forest. We are talking about the tree wagtail.

Character and lifestyle

This bird is one of the most useful among its fellows. It can destroy simply a huge number of flies and insects that harm humans. In order to catch them, she only needs to hunt for them in flight.

Gardeners treat birds with respect. It can destroy pests directly from the garden. Birds are distinguished by their great mobility. You can only see her calm when she sings her favorite song.

The bird is characterized by gullibility. Sometimes a stranger can come very close to her. At the end of summer, all wagtails try to flock together and, together with swallows and starlings, find refuge in the reed thickets.

Before migrating to warm countries, birds become especially vigilant. At these moments, they not only keep the enemy away, but it is also difficult for a person to approach them.

During the night's rest, they do not stop calling to each other. It doesn't depend on whether anyone bothers them or not. The autumn migration takes two months.

It is interesting to watch the bird as it moves along the ground. She does this quickly, one might say running. It seems that the bird moves with the help of wheels.

Wagtails fly beautifully. They do this best at low altitude. They easily fly around grass and can turn sharply with the help of their tail, which plays the role of a rudder. Wagtail bird friendly bird. Birds prefer to live in columns.

Nutrition

Insects occupy the main place in the diet of birds. Moreover, on especially difficult days, when there are fewer insects, the wagtail can zealously guard its territory and prevent competitors from hunting on it.

If there are no problems with insects, then the bird can show kindness and allow the uninvited guest to hunt together, but it must go or fly first.

White wagtail eggs

Due to a lack of insects, wagtails sometimes have to change their place of residence. Sometimes they may eat seeds or plants instead of insects, which does not happen often. The wagtail returns to its native habitats around March-April. From this period their mating season begins.

Reproduction and lifespan

During the breeding season, males become a little different, their color changes for the better, the color of the plumage has more rich colors and contrast. The female lays about 6 eggs, gray in color with small dark dots.

The female needs two weeks to hatch her eggs. The male stays next to her and the future offspring all this time. He not only protects the female and eggs, but also takes full responsibility for her food. After the chicks appear, caring for them falls on the male and female equally.

White wagtail chicks

After two weeks of parental care, the little chicks gradually begin to leave the parental nest. But at the same time, they take on the experience of adults for a long time and only closer to autumn can they live independently. The lifespan of wagtails is about 12 years.