Birds and Birding's Guide to:

Watching THE SPARROW-LIKE BIRDS

THE SONG BIRDS

THE WAGTAILS AND PIPITS

European Yellow Wagtail

As an example of the group in which there is more or less of yellow in the plumage we may select the common Yellow Wagtail (M. rayii) of western Europe, in which the upper parts are olive-green, while a stripe over the eye and the under parts are a rich sulphur-yellow; it is smaller than many of the others, being only about six inches long. It is a common bird in Great Britain, where, as Seebohm says,”its active, sylph-like movements and its delicate form and lovely plumage make it a general favorite.”It does not come about houses, but is found in open downs, pastures, and grassland, as well as in fields where crops are being sown, or where it may follow the plow; it also frequents places where cattle are being pastured to feed upon the insects startled from the grass by the animals. The nest, placed on the ground, is usually well concealed amidst grass and herbage, and the four to six eggs are white, mottled with pale brown and olive. Another well-known species belonging to this group is the Yellow-bellied Wagtail (M. flaviventris) of Madagascar, which has the entire abdomen yellow, this being separated by a broad black crescent from the white breast.

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