Motacilla citreola
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on Ren Hathway's illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The citrine wagtail (Motacilla citreola) is a small songbird in the family Motacillidae. The term citrine, and the specific name citreola, refer to its yellowish colouration. Its systematics, phylogeny and taxonomy are subject of considerable debate in the early 21st century. This is because this bird forms a cryptic species complex with the eastern (M. tschutschensis ) and western yellow wagtail (M. flava). Which of the many taxa in this group should properly refer to which population is unlikely to be resolved in the immediate future.
Motacilla is the Latin name for the pied wagtail; although actually a diminutive of motare, " to move about", from medieval times it led to the misunderstanding of cilla as "tail". The specific citreola is Latin for "lemon yellow".
It is a slender, 15.5–17 cm long bird, with the long, constantly wagging tail characteristic of the genus Motacilla. The adult male in breeding plumage is basically grey or black above, with white on the remiges, and bright yellow below and on the entire head except for the black nape. In winter plumage, its yellow underparts may be diluted by white, and the head is brownish... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | |
| 4 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Hemis National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 8 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 10 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 11 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 14 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kunming | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Chattogram | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 3 | Karachi | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | |
| 4 | Savar | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 5 | Kolkata | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Srinagar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Vijayawada | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Kota | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Asansol | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Citrine Wagtail sighting in London on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 197th most-seen of the 203 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Citrine Wagtail in London on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Citrine 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.
56th of 56
Of the 56 cities where we can rate Citrine Wagtail sightings, London ranks 56th at under 5%. The best odds are in Kunming (China, about 20%), Chattogram (Bangladesh, about 20%) and Karachi (Pakistan, about 20%).
Same genus: Motacilla
The closest relatives of the Citrine Wagtail that you can see in London (genus Motacilla, Wagtails) are White Wagtail (about 30%) and Grey Wagtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Citrine Wagtail is recorded against all the birds logged in London (7 verified sightings), 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.
