Japanese Wagtail
Motacilla grandis
Large, boldly patterned, long-tailed songbird of waterside areas, particularly fast-flowing streams but also rivers, pools, inland lakes, and coastal areas. Adult male velveteen black with white belly, wings, throat, brow, and outer tail feathers. Adult female similar but grayish black above. Juvenile similar, with soft, pale gray upperparts; juvenile of Japanese subspecies of White Wagtail similar but shows white arc behind eye. Calls distinctively buzzy.
Identification
The Japanese wagtail is about 20 cm long. The sexes look similar; they have white underparts and black upperparts, throats, and backs. Their supercilia are also white. They have black beaks and dark grey legs and feet. The plumage of a juvenile is greyer than that of an adult.
Taxonomy
The bird's Latin species name, grandis, means large.
- Scientific name
- Motacilla grandis
- Authority
- Sharpe, 1885
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Motacillidae
- Genus
- Motacilla
Range and habitat
It is native to Japan and Korea. Vagrant birds have been recorded in Taiwan, eastern China and far-eastern Russia. It lives in inland wetlands, on arable land and in urban areas.
- Breeding range
- PAL : Hokkaido to Kyushu (n to s Japan) and s Korean Pen.
- Non-breeding range
- to Ryukyu Is. (s Japan)
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The Japanese wagtail eats insects.<p>Large groups of Japanese wagtails roost together in trees.<p>Nests are built in cavities near water. The parents both look after the eggs and chicks. Four to six eggs are laid in each clutch.
Conservation
The Japanese wagtail is classed as a species of least concern by the IUCN. It has a stable population.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Patagioenas corensis
Large, pale pigeon, unmistakeable if seen well, with large pale blue ocular ring and prominent white wing patches. Occurs in pairs or in small to large groups; mainly seen in trees, tops of cactuses, or in flight. Locally common in desert scrub, dry forests, and mangroves. Voice a very low “cooooo, tuk-tu-kUUuu, tuk-tu-kUUuu,” similar to other pigeons. The only pigeon with white wing patches in arid regions in its range.
White-tailed Robin
Myiomela leucura
Stately ground-dwelling songbird of dense mid- to upper-elevation broadleaf and mixed forests, particularly in areas with bamboo. Male a striking rich blue with brighter patches on crown and wings, female brown overall with white throat and belly. Both sexes have large white patches on sides of tail that flash brightly in the gloom of the forest when fanned. When the white tail patch is not visible, ground-dwelling habits and horizontal posture distinguish male from the similar Large Niltava. Song is beautiful, a short series of ringing silvery whistles, usually rising. Most common call is a high thin “tzin.”
Crissal Thrasher
Toxostoma crissale
Dark grayish thrasher with distinctive rufous undertail coverts. Bill long and strongly curved. Tail long and dark. Obvious dark line separating white mustache and white throat. Yellow eye. Secretive and uncommon, although perches conspicuously when singing. Found in brushy deserts. With a good view, easily distinguished from more common Curve-billed Thrasher by darker gray color and rufous undertail coverts. Listen for jumbled, rambling song.
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