Motacilla grandis
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on Ren Hathway's illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The Japanese wagtail (Motacilla grandis) is a species of bird in the pipit and wagtail family Motacillidae. It is native to Japan and Korea. The Japanese wagtail is about 20 cm long. The sexes look similar; they have white underparts and black upperparts, throats, and backs. Their supercilia are also white. They have black beaks and dark grey legs and feet. The plumage of a juvenile is greyer than that of an adult.
The bird's Latin species name, grandis, means large. The Japanese wagtail is classed as a species of least concern by the IUCN. It has a stable population. The Japanese wagtail eats insects. Large groups of Japanese wagtails roost together in trees.
Nests are built in cavities near water. The parents both look after the eggs and chicks. Four to six eggs are laid in each clutch. It is native to Japan and Korea. Vagrant birds have been recorded in Taiwan, eastern China and far-eastern Russia. It lives in inland wetlands, on arable land and in urban areas. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ueno Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Wagtail sighting in Osaka on a given day, based on 2,287 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 20th most-seen of the 180 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Japanese Wagtail in Osaka on a given day, against about 30% in February, April–August and December, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Japanese 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.
3rd of 8
Of the 8 cities where we can rate Japanese Wagtail sightings, Osaka ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in Sendai (Japan, about 70%) and Nagoya (Japan, about 40%).
Same genus: Motacilla
The closest relatives of the Japanese Wagtail that you can see in Osaka (genus Motacilla, Wagtails) are White Wagtail (about 60%) 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 Japanese Wagtail is recorded against all the birds logged in Osaka (2,287 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.
