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Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea [Tunstall, 1771]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Passeriformes
Family:
Motacillidae
BTO Codes:
GL , GREWA
EURING No:
10190
Number in Britain:
38 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK:
AMBER
European:
Not a species of concern
Global:
Least Concern
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Status in UK:
(A) Resident Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies:
cinerea recorded in Britain (of 6 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
18 cm
Wingspan:
26 cm
Weight:
M/F: 18 g
Scientific name from:
Gr.: muttex a bird described by Hesychius
and L.: cinereus =ash-coloured (from cinis =ashes)
World Distribution:
BREEDS: Locally in Eurasia, n Africa, WINTERS: south to s Asia, s Africa
Habitat:
Banks of swift streams, lakes
Diet:
Small invertebrates from ground or flycatching, will hunt in water
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
Regional Trends:
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Summer:
34 to 41 thousand pairs
in 2000
Note: Best estimate
First Record:
1678
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
Most frequent in:
Along Rivers
Also common in:
Moorland
And found in:
Scrub, Pasture Farmland, Marsh
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
Summer:
710 thousand to 1 million pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
Bern(III)
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
19 x 14 mm
Egg Weight:
1.9 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
143
(more would be welcome!)
Clutch Size:
5 eggs
4.91 ± 0.73 (2 - 7) N = 1405
Incubation:
13 - 13 days
12.68 ± 0.87 (11 - 15) N = 1404
by the:
Female
Fledging:
14 - 15 days
14.08 ± 1.32 (11 - 16) N = 2794
as:
Altricial, downy
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid:
27 Apr (31 Mar - 16 Jun)
Number of Broods:
2(3)
Trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed:
827
Adult Survival:
No data
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
1
year
Typical Lifespan:
No data
Maximum Recorded Age:
7yr0m
(Germany: 8yr 0m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
A
Wing Length
Adult:
83.9 ± 2.3
Range
80 - 88 mm, N =579
Juvenile:
83.5 ± 2.1
80 - 87 mm, N =590
Male:
84.5 ± 2.2
81 - 89 mm, N =180
Female:
82.9 ± 2.2
79 - 87 mm, N =192
Weight
Adult:
18.09 ± 1.32
Range
16.10 - 20.50 g , N =484
Juvenile:
17.53 ± 1.24
15.70 - 19.60 g , N =509
Male:
17.86 ± 1.22
16.30 - 19.60 g , N =149
Female:
17.93 ± 1.46 .
15.90 - 20.60 g , N =156
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Gaelic:
Breacan-baintighearna
Welsh:
Siglen Llwyd
Danish:
Bjergvipstjert
Dutch:
Grote gele kwikstaart
Finnish:
Vuorivästäräkki
French:
Bergeronnette des ruisseaux
German:
Gebirgsstelze
Hungarian:
Hegyi billegeto
Icelandic:
Straumerla
Irish:
Glasóg Liath
Italian:
Ballerina gialla
Norwegian:
Vintererle
Polish:
Pliszka górska
Portuguese:
Alvéola-cinzenta
Spanish:
Lavandera cascadeña
Swedish:
Forsärla
Local Names: Barley Bird
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