Motacilla alba
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on Ren Hathway's illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White Wagtail sighting in Madurai on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 97th most-seen of the 118 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White Wagtail in Madurai on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
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.
194th of 210
Of the 210 cities where we can rate White Wagtail sightings, Madurai ranks 194th at under 5%. The best odds are in Sendai (Japan, about 80%), Tehran (Iran, about 80%) and Antalya (Turkey, about 70%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White Wagtail is recorded against all the birds logged in Madurai (10 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.
