Motacilla alba
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on Ren Hathway's illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% 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 50% of wildlife watchers report a White Wagtail sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 2,630 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 202 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a White Wagtail in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against about 40% in May to July, the lowest months. That is one of Sierra de Guadarrama National Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against 20 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.
14th of 56
Of the 56 parks where we can rate White Wagtail sightings, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park ranks 14th at about 50%. 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 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (genus Motacilla, Wagtails) are Grey Wagtail (about 10%) and Western Yellow 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 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (2,630 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.
