Editing Grey wagtail

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Grey wagtail
| image = Grey wagtail - Fulzar Dam, Jamnagar 2023-11-13.jpg
| image_caption = During winter migration at Fulzar Dam, Jamnagar, Gujarat
| image2 = Motacilla cinerea - Grey Wagtail XC128136.ogg
| image2_caption = Gray wagtail call
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2017 |title=''Motacilla cinerea'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T22718392A111215843 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22718392A111215843.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Motacilla
| species = cinerea
| authority = [[Marmaduke Tunstall|Tunstall]], 1771
| synonyms = ''Motacilla melanope''<br/>''Calobates melanope''
| range_map = MotacillaCinereaDistributionMapIUCNv8 2.png
| range_map_caption = Range of ''M. cinerea''{{leftlegend|#00ff00|Extant, breeding|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#008000|Extant, resident |outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#007fff|Extant, non-breeding|outline=gray}}
}}

The '''grey wagtail''' ('''''Motacilla cinerea''''') is a member of the [[wagtail]] family, [[Motacillidae]], measuring around 18–19&nbsp;cm overall length. The species looks somewhat similar to the [[yellow wagtail (disambiguation)|yellow wagtail]] but has the yellow on its underside restricted to the throat and [[Cloaca|vent]]. Breeding males have a black throat. The species is widely distributed, with several populations breeding in [[Palearctic|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.

==Taxonomy and systematics==
The [[binomial name]] of the grey wagtail ''Motacilla cinerea'' was introduced by [[Marmaduke Tunstall]] in his 1771 publication ''Ornithologia Britannica''.<ref>{{ cite journal | last1=Schodde | first1=R. | last2=Bock | first2=W.J. | year=2008 | title=The valid name for the Grey Wagtail | journal=Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club | volume=128 | issue=2 | pages=132–133 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/45653724 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | last=Tunstall | first=Marmaduke | author-link=Marmaduke Tunstall | editor-last=Newton | editor-first=Alfred | editor-link=Alfred Newton | year=1880 | orig-year=1771  | title=Tunstall's Ornithologia britannica | language=la | place=London | publisher=J. Akerman | page=2 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13970780 }} A photo-lithographic reproduction of the original publication.</ref> ''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" from ''cinis'', "ashes".<ref name =job>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A. | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher=Christopher Helm | location = London, United Kingdom | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n107 107], 261 }}</ref>

The relationships of this species are not well resolved; it belongs to the non-[[Africa]]n [[clade]] of wagtails, these are confusing in their external [[Morphology (biology)|morphology]], and [[mtDNA]] [[cytochrome b|cytochrome ''b'']] and [[NADH dehydrogenase]] [[Protein subunit|subunit]] 2 [[DNA sequence|sequence]] data are not able to robustly resolve their relationships. While the present species is probably most closely related to citrine wagtails and some blue-headed wagtails, the exact nature of this relationship is unclear.<ref name = Voelker>{{cite journal|author=Voelker, Gary |year=2002|title= Systematics and historical biogeography of wagtails: Dispersal versus vicariance revisited|journal=Condor|volume=104|issue=4|pages=725–739|doi=10.1650/0010-5422(2002)104[0725:SAHBOW]2.0.CO;2|s2cid=85844839 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Three [[subspecies]] are recognised:<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=January 2021 | title=Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors, pipits | work=IOC World Bird List Version 11.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/weavers/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=3 June 2021 }}</ref>
* ''M. c. patriciae'' [[Charles Vaurie|Vaurie]], 1957 – Azores
* ''M. c. schmitzi'' [[Viktor von Tschusi zu Schmidhoffen|Tschusi]], 1900 – Madeira
* ''M. c. cinerea'' [[Marmaduke Tunstall|Tunstall]], 1771 – west Europe, Canary Islands and northwest Africa to central, east, northeast Asia

==Description==
[[File:Grey Wagtail- Breeding Male I IMG 6705.jpg|thumb|left|Male ''M. c. melanope'']]
[[File:Motacilla cinerea - kanagawa japan - 2024 feb 18.webm|thumb|left|Grey wagtail in [[Japan]]]]
This slim wagtail has a narrow white supercilium and a broken eye ring. The upperparts are grey and the yellow vent contrasting with whitish underparts makes it distinctive. The breeding male has a black throat that is edged by whitish moustachial stripes. They forage singly or in pairs on meadows or on shallow water marshes. They also use rocks in water and will often perch on trees. They have a clear sharp call note and the song consists of trills.<ref name=pcr/>

==Distribution and habitat==
The bird is widely distributed across the Palearctic region with several well marked populations. The nominate form (includes ''caspica'' of Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus) is from western Europe including the British Isles, Scandinavia and Mediterranean region. Race ''melanope'', which is not well separated from the nominate subspecies, is described as the population breeding in eastern Europe and central Asia mainly along the mountain chains of the Urals, Tien Shan and along the Himalayas.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hume, AO|year=1890|title=The nests and eggs of Indian Birds. Volume 2.|publisher=R H Porter, London|page=207|url=https://archive.org/stream/nestseggsofindia02hume#page/206/mode/2up}}</ref> They winter in Africa and Asia. Race ''robusta'' breeds along the northeastern parts of Asia in Siberia extending to Korea and Japan. These winter in Southeast Asia. Island forms include ''patriciae'' of the Azores, ''schmitzi'' of [[Madeira]] and ''canariensis'' of the Canary Islands.

They sometimes occur on the islands to the West of Alaska but have been known to occur further south in California as a vagrant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uaf.edu/museum/bird/products/checklist.pdf|title=Checklist of Alaska birds|edition=15th|year=2009|access-date=30 October 2009|publisher=University of Alaska, Fairbanks}}</ref>

==Behaviour and ecology==
[[Image:Motacilla cinerea 1 Luc Viatour.jpg|thumb|left|Nominate race (Belgium)]]
The breeding season is April to July and the nest is placed near fast running streams or rivers on an embankment between stones and roots.<ref name="pcr">{{cite book|author1=Rasmussen PC  |author2=Anderton, JC |year=2005|title=Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Volume 2|page=317|publisher=Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions}}</ref> The male in display, makes short flights up into the air and descends slowly with fluttering flight accompanied by a rapid series of chipping high notes.<ref name="hbk" /> In Europe the nests are often made in holes in manmade structures. The clutch consists of 3–6 speckled eggs and multiple broods may be raised with declining numbers in the clutch in subsequent broods.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Klemp S.|year=2000|title=Effects of parental effort on second brood, moult and survival in the Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea|journal=Ardea|volume=88|issue=1|pages=91–98}}</ref> The usual clutch size is five in Ireland and the breeding success is about 80% with predation of eggs or chicks being the main cause of breeding failure.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Breeding biology of the Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea in southwest Ireland|author1=Smiddy, P.  |author2=O'Halloran, J. |doi=10.1080/00063659809461104 |journal= Bird Study|volume = 45|issue=3|year=1998|pages=331–336}}</ref> The Canary Islands population typically have smaller clutches and the breeding season is not as short and well marked as in populations at higher latitudes.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Rodríguez B.|author2=Rodríguez A.|year=2007|title=Breeding biology of Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea canariensis on Tenerife, Canary Islands|journal=Acta Ornithol.|volume=42|pages=195–199|url=http://www.ebd.csic.es/Airam/pdf/Rodriguez_%26_Rodriguez_2007_Acta_Ornithol.pdf|doi=10.3161/068.042.0203|issue=2|doi-access=free|access-date=2009-10-28|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030532/http://www.ebd.csic.es/Airam/pdf/Rodriguez_%26_Rodriguez_2007_Acta_Ornithol.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The incubation period is about two weeks with chicks fledging within a fortnight. They live for a maximum of 8 years in the wild.<ref>{{cite web|author=Robinson, R.A. |year=2005|title=BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland |access-date=28 October 2009|publisher=BTO Research|url=http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob10190.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title= Migration and Aspects of Population Dynamics in the Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea |author= Jørgensen OH|journal=Ornis Scandinavica|volume=7|issue=1|year=1976|pages=13–20|doi= 10.2307/3676170|jstor= 3676170}}</ref>

[[File:Motacilla cinerea MWNH 1570.JPG|thumb|Eggs, Collection [[Museum Wiesbaden]]]]
In some parts of its range the [[white-throated dipper]] nests in the same habitats as the grey wagtail and there are some records of [[interspecific feeding]] of dipper chicks by adult wagtails.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Dipper Nestlings Fed by a Gray Wagtail|author1=Yoerg, SI  |author2=O'Halloran, J |year=1991|url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v108n02/p0427-p0429.pdf|journal=Auk|volume=108|issue=2|pages=427–429}}</ref>

These birds feed on a variety of aquatic invertebrates including adult flies, mayflies, beetles, crustacea and molluscs.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Santamarina, Jesus|year=1989|journal=Ardeola|volume =37|issue=1|pages=97–101|title=The Grey Wagtall (Motacilla cinerea) diet in the Ulla river basin, Galicia. NW Spain|language=es|url=http://www.ardeola.org/files/Ardeola_37%281%29_97-101.pdf}}</ref> They often forage along roadsides in winter, flushing with a sharp ''chi-cheep'' call and flying up further along the road but after some distance turning back to return to the original location.<ref name=hbk/>

In winter, they roost in small groups.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Neelakantan, KK |year=1964|title= Roosting of the Grey Wagtail [''Motacilla caspica'' (Gmelin)] in the Thekkady Wild Life Sanctuary|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=61|issue=3|pages=691–692| url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48073295}}</ref> Wintering birds have been known to return to the same sites, sometimes a small urban garden, each year.<ref name="hbk">{{cite book |author1=Ali |first=Salim |title=Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 9 |author2=Ripley |first2=S. Dillon |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1998 |edition=2nd |pages=290–292}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Return of Northern Migrants to Tropical Winter Quarters and Banded Birds Recovered in the United States|author=Nickell, Walter P|journal=Bird-Banding|volume=39|issue=2|year=1968|pages= 107–116|doi=10.2307/4511469 |jstor=4511469 }}</ref>

Adults often have parasitic ticks, ''[[Ixodes ricinus]]'', which can harbour ''[[Borrelia]]'' and thus can potentially disperse Lyme disease over a wide region.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Differential Role of Passerine Birds in Distribution of ''Borrelia'' Spirochetes, Based on Data from Ticks Collected from Birds during the Postbreeding Migration Period in Central Europe|author1=Dubska, Lenka |author2=Ivan Literak |author3=Elena Kocianova |author4=Veronika Taragelova |author5=Oldrich Sychra |journal=Applied and Environmental Microbiology|year=2009|pages=596–602 |volume=75|issue=3|doi=10.1128/AEM.01674-08|url= |pmid=19060160|pmc=2632145|bibcode=2009ApEnM..75..596D }}</ref> Coccidia such as ''[[Isospora]]'' sp. are known in this species.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Isospora, Caryospora and Eimeria (Apicomplexa: Passeriform Birds from Czech Republic|author=Svobodova, M|journal=Acta Protozoologica |year=1994|volume= 33|pages=101–108|url=http://www.natur.cuni.cz/parasitology/milenaweb/isospora.pdf}}</ref> The [[common cuckoo]] is sometimes a [[brood parasitism|brood parasite]] of this species,<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Adamík P.|author2=Hušek J.|author3=Cepák J.|year=2009|title=Rapid decline of Common Cuckoo ''Cuculus canorus'' parasitism in Red-backed Shrikes ''Lanius collurio''|url=http://www.zoologie.upol.cz/ruzne/ardea_97-017-022.pdf|journal=Ardea|volume=97|issue=1|pages=17–22|doi=10.5253/078.097.0103|s2cid=86228074 |access-date=2013-03-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035618/http://www.zoologie.upol.cz/ruzne/ardea_97-017-022.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[kestrel]]s may sometimes prey on them.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Consistent differences in feeding habits between neighbouring breeding kestrels |author1=Costantini, David |author2=Casagrande, Stefania |author3=Di Lieto, Giuseppe |author4=Fanfani, Alberto |author5=Dell'Omo, Giacomo |journal=Behaviour |volume=142 |issue=9–10 |year=2005 |pages=1403–1415 |url=http://www.birdcam.it/files/Behaviour2005.pdf |doi=10.1163/156853905774539409 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710091202/http://www.birdcam.it/files/Behaviour2005.pdf |archive-date=2007-07-10 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*[http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/grey-wagtail-motacilla-cinerea Grey wagtail videos, photos & sounds]
*[http://www.madeirabirds.com/grey_wagtail Grey wagtail (''schmitzi'')]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160305010043/http://aulaenred.ibercaja.es/wp-content/uploads/318_GreyWagtailMcinerea.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF; 0.97 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze]
*[https://ebird.org/species/grywag eBird: Grey Wagtail (''Motacilla cinerea)'']

{{Taxonbar|from=Q201316}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Motacilla]]
[[Category:Birds of the Canary Islands]]
[[Category:Birds of the Azores]]
[[Category:Birds of Madeira]]
[[Category:Birds of Macaronesia]]
[[Category:Birds of Eurasia]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1771]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Marmaduke Tunstall]]