Motacilla alba
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on Ren Hathway's illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The white wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in the Palearctic zone in most of Europe and Asia and parts of North Africa; it also has a toehold in western Alaska as a scarce breeder. It is resident in the mildest parts of its range, but otherwise migrates to Africa. In total, there are between 9 and 11 subspecies of M. alba; in Ireland and Great Britain, the black-backed subspecies known as the pied wagtail (M. a. yarrellii) predominates.
The white wagtail is an insectivorous bird of open country, often near habitation and water. It prefers bare areas for feeding, where it can see and pursue its prey. In urban areas, it has adapted to foraging on paved areas such as car parks. It nests in crevices in stone walls and similar natural and human-made structures.
It is the national bird of Latvia and has featured on the stamps of several countries. It is listed as being 'of least concern' by IUCN. The white wagtail was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, and it still bears its... Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Parc zoologique de Montpellier | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Alpenzoo Innsbruck | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 4 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a White Wagtail sighting in Chitwan National Park on a given day, based on 642 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 41st most-seen of the 367 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a White Wagtail in Chitwan National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, the lowest month. That is one of Chitwan National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 660 mm in July.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White Wagtail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
24th of 56
Of the 56 parks where we can rate White Wagtail sightings, Chitwan National Park ranks 24th at about 40%. The best odds are in Vanoise National Park (France, about 70%), Vatnajokull National Park (Iceland, about 70%) and Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Motacilla
The closest relatives of the White Wagtail that you can see in Chitwan National Park (genus Motacilla, Wagtails) are White-browed Wagtail (about 50%), Citrine Wagtail (about 10%) and Grey Wagtail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White Wagtail is recorded against all the birds logged in Chitwan National Park (642 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
