Motacilla cinerea
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on Ren Hathway's illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) is a member of the wagtail family, Motacillidae, measuring around 18–19 cm overall length. The species looks somewhat similar to the yellow wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted to the throat and vent. Breeding males have a black throat. The species is widely distributed, with several populations breeding in Eurosiberia and migrating to tropical regions in Asia and Africa. The species is always associated with running water when breeding, although they may use man-made structures near streams for the nest. Outside the breeding season, they may also be seen around lakes, coasts and other watery habitats. Like other wagtails, they frequently wag their tail and fly low with undulations and they have a sharp call that is often given in flight.
The binomial name of the grey wagtail Motacilla cinerea was introduced by Marmaduke Tunstall in his 1771 publication Ornithologia Britannica. 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 cinerea is Latin for "ash-grey... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xiuying District | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Sincan | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 3 | Đà Nẵng | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 4 | Turin | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 5 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 6 | Athens | 🇬🇷 Greece | |
| 7 | Jabalpur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Kathmandu | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 10 | Antalya | 🇹🇷 Turkey |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Barcelona Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Aquarama Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Wildwood Discovery Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Bioparc Fuengirola | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Aquamarine Inawashiro Kingfishers Aquarium | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 7 | Snakeroom Serpentarium | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Wagtail sighting in Tianjin on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 100th most-seen of the 121 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.
April
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Wagtail in Tianjin on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months. That is one of Tianjin's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 160 mm in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Grey 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.
147th of 164
Of the 164 cities where we can rate Grey Wagtail sightings, Tianjin ranks 147th at under 5%. The best odds are in Xiuying District (China, about 50%), Sincan (Turkey, about 30%) and Đà Nẵng (Vietnam, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grey Wagtail is recorded against all the birds logged in Tianjin (8 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.
