A grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) is a small slate-coloured bird with a distinctive yellow under-tail – easily misidentified as a yellow wagtail.
Learn all about these river-loving birds – including how to identify them, call, habitat and distribution – with our expert guide.
What does a grey wagtail look like?
The male in spring has a very smart black chin, separated from the cheeks by a white line. Otherwise, a very helpful pointer is that it’s our only wagtail with pink legs.
Grey wagtail vs yellow wagtail
This is one of those birds with a somewhat misleading name. Yes, it is grey on the head and back, but what you notice is the citrus-yellow on the breast and under the tail. People jump to the conclusion that it’s a yellow wagtail, but it’s simply a wagtail with yellow on it.
Grey wagtail habitat
A few years ago, to prevent name confusion, somebody suggested 'river wagtail' as an alternative for this bird, and that would be ideal because, as a rule, if you want to see a grey wagtail, go to any kind of reasonably substantial stream or river.
It often perches on the edge or on a partially immersed rock, wagging its impressively long tail, which is the longest of the wagtails’.
In winter it has a broader habitat and might be found at garden ponds, especially those with running water.
Grey wagtail call
The call is a much better-enunciated effort than the pied wagtail’s, a sharp “zi-zit.”
In spring these beauties hold a waterside territory and often sing a halting song from branches; it sounds like the chirps of an insect.
What do grey wagtails eat?
The grey wagtail feeds on similar food to the pied wagtail – mostly small insects – and in a similar way but remember, almost always by water, whereas pied is often far from water.
Grey wagtail roosts and nests
Defence of territory, a stretch of river, can be hot tempered, and there are records of rivals drowning each other! Overall, it is much less sociable than the pied, and doesn’t form large roosts. It is usually seen in ones or twos. The nest is often placed in waterside tree roots, or on a bridge.
Grey wagtail population
Grey wagtails are locally common all year round, with 37,000 pairs in the UK. They are on the Amber List of Conservation Concern and populations are stable.
Learn more about Britain's birds
