Pied Wagtails |
Latin name - Motacilla alba Pied wagtails can be seen everywhere though they prefer to be near water.
They never seem to stop moving, constantly scurrying across areas of grass
searching for their diet of insects, even standing still the tail frantically
wags up and down. While they eat insects they will feed on seeds and even
rubbish in winter. Males have black and white plumage with a long tail,
females are similar but have greyer upper-parts and young birds are much
browner than the adults. Grass and mosses are used to construct the small
cup-shaped nest which are placed in holes in walls, buildings, or old
nests of larger birds. There are two or three broods of five to six eggs
each laid between mid April and mid August. Incubation takes thirteen
days and the nestlings fledge after fourteen to fifteen days. |