Grey wagtail

    Motacilla cinerea

Castilian: Lavandera cascadeña

Catalan: Cuereta torrentera

Gallego: Lavandeira real

Euskera: Buztanikara horia

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Motacillidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

It is not threatened but can be affected by alterations in watercourses and by river pollution, which cause loss of habitat.

Length / size: 19 cm / 26 cm

Identification: Slender bird whose tail is long and black; its external feathers are white, and its legs and bill are black. Its plumage is ash grey on its back, its wing are black and the edges of its tertiaries are white, its underparts and rump are yellow, its throat and moustache are black, and it has two white lines on its forehead and moustache. The female's throat is black and the bottom part of its body is less yellow. In winter its plumage is similar, but its throat and part of its underparts are whitish. Two of this species' habits are noteworthy: the continuous swaying of its tail and its presence near bodies of water.

Song: Its call has two high-pitched, loud and metallic notes, "seev-seev". Its song is a series of repeated calls.

Diet: It feeds on aquatic and land insects, especially larvae and adult flies, mosquitoes, mayflies and beetles, which it finds by pecking on the ground and in shallow water.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in March. It is a territorial and monogamous species. The nest is built by both parents, forming a large cup made of branches, grass and moss which they place near the water at a low height, in roots, river banks, etc. They both also incubate the eggs and care for the chicks.

HABITAT

It prefers mountainous areas with low levels of sunshine, good tree cover and freshwater streams. It usually breeds between sea level and an altitude of over 2,000 metres.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It breeds in the Balearic Islands and the peninsula, fundamentally in mountainous areas.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout the entire community, and is most abundant in Segovia, Valladolid and Zamora.

Movements and migrations: The Spanish specimens can make altitudinal movements, but they are of little importance. Specimens from central European countries, especially France and Belgium, come to Spain to spend the winter. The migratory passages take place between February-April and September-November, with the youngest specimens arriving first.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 100000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of less than 8000 breeding pairs.