Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinerea
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyMotacillidae (Wagtails and Pipits)
- GenusMotacilla (Wagtails)
- SpeciesMotacilla cinerea (Grey Wagtail)
About the Grey Wagtail
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 →
Closest Relatives at Hohe Tauern National Park
White Wagtail
Motacilla alba
Water Pipit
Anthus spinoletta
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialis
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensis
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Coal Tit
Periparus ater
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
Alpine Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus
House Martin
Delichon urbicum
Northern Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
Eurasian Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelis
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 Grey Wagtail in Hohe Tauern National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Wagtail sighting in Hohe Tauern National Park, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Grey Wagtail in Hohe Tauern National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Grey Wagtail in Hohe Tauern National Park in our monthly data.