Western Yellow Wagtail
(Motacilla flava)
Description:
Vibrant wagtail, mainly yellow, olive green and grey, much variation with season, time of day and locality. Male breeding has olive-green upperparts and yellow underparts, with considerable variation in coloration of head depending on race. Female is extremely variable, but often has some features of breeding male.
Distribution:
Rare summer visitor and passage migrant through the western and northern parts of Gilgit-Baltistan. Variety of damp or wet habitats with low vegetation, from damp meadows, marshes, waterside pastures and bogs to damp steppe and grassy areas.
Behavior:
Forages by picking items from the ground or from water while walking; also run-picks, and makes short flights to catch insects in the air, over water or from vegetation. Occasionally hover over vegetation to take prey. Diet includes wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates; also some plant material, especially seeds.
Photo Gallery:
Range & Occurrence:
Distribution Map of Western Yellow Wagtail in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )
Seasonal Occurrence of Western Yellow Wagtail
Resources:
Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)
*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.
