Motacilla cinerea
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on Ren Hathway's illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 272 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 142nd most-seen of the 285 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Wagtail in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to September, the lowest months. That is one of Wadden Sea National Park's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 45 mm in April.
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.
54th of 70
Of the 70 parks where we can rate Grey Wagtail sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 54th at under 5%. The best odds are in Horton Plains National Park (Sri Lanka, about 60%), Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia, about 60%) and Aigüestortes National Park (Spain, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Motacilla
The closest relatives of the Grey Wagtail that you can see in Wadden Sea National Park (genus Motacilla, Wagtails) are White Wagtail (about 40%) and Western Yellow Wagtail (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Grey Wagtail is recorded against all the birds logged in Wadden Sea National Park (272 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.
