White-browed Wagtail

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iWhite-browed Wagtail

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Motacillidae
Genus: Motacilla
Species: M. madaraspatensis
Binomial name
Motacilla madaraspatensis
Gmelin, 1789

The White-browed Wagtail , also known as the Large Pied Wagtail , (Motacilla madaraspatensis) is a medium-sized passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws. It is a resident breeder in India. It is also known by its other name of Large Pied Wagtail and the species name is derived from the Indian city of Madras now known as Chennai.

This species appears to belong to the white-bellied black-throated superspecies like the White Wagtail. It is most similar in external appearance to the Japanese Wagtail, and to Hodgson's Wagtail which is considered a subspecies of the White Wagtail (M. alba alboides). Its song much resembles that of the recently-described Mekong Wagtail which may or may not be a coincidence. mtDNA cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 sequence data is not able to robustly resolve the relationships of these birds, especially in respect to the Blue-headed Wagtail and its relatives (Voelker, 2002).

The White-browed Wagtail is a large wagtail at 21cm. This is a slender bird, with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. It has black upperparts, head and breast, with a white supercilium and large white wingbar. The rest of the underparts are white. The female has the black coloration less glossy than in the male. Juveniles are brown-grey where the adult is black.

This is the largest species of wagtail and it is one of the few that has adapted well to urban habitats and is often found perched on overhead water storages in residential buildings.

It is found in open freshwater wetland habitats. It builds its cup-shaped nest in a hole in a wall or bank and usually lays three to five eggs. Like other wagtails, this species is insectivorous.

[edit] References

  • BirdLife International (2004). Motacilla madaraspatensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
  • Grimmett, Richard; Inskipp, Carol, Inskipp, Tim & Byers, Clive (1999): Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.. ISBN 0-691-04910-6
  • Voelker, Gary (2002): Systematics and historical biogeography of wagtails: Dispersal versus vicariance revisited. Condor 104(4): 725–739. [English with Spanish abstract] DOI: 10.1650/0010-5422(2002)104[0725:SAHBOW]2.0.CO;2 HTML abstract
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