Western Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla flava
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyMotacillidae (Wagtails and Pipits)
- GenusMotacilla (Wagtails)
- SpeciesMotacilla flava (Western Yellow Wagtail)
The western yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava) is a small passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws. This species breeds in much of temperate Europe and Asia. Most populations are migratory, moving south to tropical Africa and southern Asia for the winter; the small population breeding in Egypt is however resident there. It is a slender 15–16 cm long bird, with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. It is the shortest tailed of the European wagtails. The breeding adult male is basically olive above and yellow below. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Yellow Wagtail sighting in Hemis National Park, based on 22 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Hemis National Park
Citrine Wagtail
Motacilla citreola
White Wagtail
Motacilla alba
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinerea
Water Pipit
Anthus spinoletta
Rosy Pipit
Anthus roseatus
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialis
Red-throated Pipit
Anthus cervinus
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensis
Eurasian Magpie
Pica pica
Cinereous Tit
Parus cinereus
Carrion Crow
Corvus corone
Bluethroat
Luscinia svecica
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Western Yellow Wagtail in Hemis National Park?
About 2% of wildlife watchers report a Western Yellow Wagtail sighting in Hemis National Park, based on 22 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Western Yellow Wagtail in Hemis National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Western Yellow Wagtail in Hemis National Park in our monthly data.