Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea   [Tunstall, 1771]

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   Page updated:16-January-2013

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: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Resident Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies: cinerea recorded in Britain (of 6 subsp. in the world)
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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: BirdTrends   
Regional Trends: Scotland   England   English Regions
Distribution: Atlas Maps    BBS Maps
British Population Size:
    Summer: 34 to 41 thousand pairs in 2000     Note: Best estimate
    First Record: 1678 [Fossil evidence from Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Recent Breeding Population Decline (1969-2007),
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 GREEN  
   Races of Concern: cinerea AMBER (Recent Decline)
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   (Trend in Numbers)
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: Bern(III)
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack

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 - 14.5) N = 1404   by the: Female
Fledging: 14 - 15days 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)
See trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: No data
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: No data
Maximum Recorded Age: 7 years 0 months 1 days (set in 1989)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics

Ring Size: A
Wing Length Adult: 83.9 ± 2.3     Range 76.0 - 91.0 mm, (N = 579)
Juvenile: 83.4 ± 2.1     Range 73.0 - 92.0 mm, (N = 2723)
Male: 84.6 ± 2.2     Range 76.0 - 91.0 mm, (N = 180)
Female: 83.0 ± 2.2     Range 76.0 - 89.0 mm, (N = 192)
Weight Adult: 18.05 ± 1.32 Range 12.50 - 22.60 g , (N =484)
Juvenile: 17.4 ± 1.1 Range 14.1 - 22.7 . , (N =2335)
Male: 17.94 ± 1.22 Range 12.50 - 22.40 g , (N =149)
Female: 17.89 ± 1.46 Range 13.40 - 22.60 g , (N =156)
Seasonal: Summer 17.61 ± 1.34 (N = 313)   Autumn 17.86 ± 1.24 (N = 182)   Winter 18.43 ± 1.23 (N = 468)  
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

For More Information...

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Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
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Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead