WILDLIFE – PIED WAGTAIL

The Pied Wagtail – Motacilla alba

The Pied Wagtail is a delightful small, long-tailed and rather sprightly black and white bird. Commonly associated with car parks and lay-bys where its more often viewed , frantically wagging its tail up and down and dashing about 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.

Most of the Pied Wagtails are resident birds , meaning they stay in the uk all year round however some birds will migrate south to the Mediterranean and Africa during the winter months. This familiar black and white bird has a white face , white belly and white bars on its wing. It’s distinguished from the other two breeding species in the uk who both have yellow underparts. Surprisingly for a small energetic bird that overwinters in the uk they can lead a relatively long life , with the maximum age recorded at 11 years and three months !

Adult males often establish and defend feeding territories, while young and female wagtails, on the other hand, travel in smaller groups and search together for food in the barren winter landscape.

Pied wagtails are insectivores, feeding on both ground and aerial invertebrates. Commonly seen on pavements and rooftops, they have been known to search for easy pickings, such as insects in a car radiator grill. In the autumn and winter, when insects are scarce, pied wagtails will come into gardens to feed on seeds and bread.

The pied wagtail’s breeding season lasts from April to June. Both sexes are responsible for building the nest with the male responsible for initiating the nest building and the female for finishing the process. It is lined with soft materials, including animal hair. The nest is set into a crevice or hole—traditionally in a bank next to a river or ditch—but the species has also adapted to nesting in walls, bridges and buildings.During this time, a breeding pair can raise up to three broods under ideal conditions. The eggs are incubated for 11 to 17 days, with the female taking on most of the work. After hatching, the young birds are fed by both parents for a fortnight. They then fly the nest and are supported by their parents for just a few more days before they are on their own.

Sadly between 1995 and 2010, there was an 11 per cent decline in pied wagtail numbers. A rapid decrease in numbers has been seen along rivers and canals suggesting there is a link with the state of our waterways, though the decrease in invertebrate availability might also play a role. Still the Pied Wagtail is currently listed as Green or little concern and is protected in law by the wildlife and count act of 1981