wag, wag, wag. no, i can't stop. it's in the name.
Pied wagtail says
Bird 19 of 30 · video, 31:48
Pied wagtail
Motacilla alba yarrellii
Black, white and grey with a tail that never stops, running after insects and roosting in crowds in winter.
- Small, 22.9 g
- Some come and go
- Tree hole
- Building or eaves
- On the ground or lawn
- On a feeder or bird table
About the pied wagtail
Marks and dots
Tap a numbered dot, or a name in the list.
A long, constantly wagging tail.
Striking black and white plumage.
Yellow-tinged juveniles can be a little puzzling.
From egg to adult
-
Egg
Eggs5–6 eggs video, BTO agrees
Hatch after13 days≠BTOthe video says 14 days
-
Chick in the nest
In the nest for14 days video, BTO agrees
-
Young bird
The yellow-tinged juveniles can be a little puzzling, but having adult birds close by clears up any confusion.
Switch the drawing above to Young for its marks.
Adult
Black, white and grey; long, wagging tail
Broods a year2 broods video, BTO agrees
BTO averages: 13 days incubating the eggs, then 14 days in the nest. Averages across nest records, so the figures above can differ a little.
At the table
- insects
- bread, in harsh weather
Insects are still the preferred food. The video says modern farming has cut the number of small flying insects, so the bird has had to adapt, and in harsh conditions it has even been known to take bread from winter bird tables.
This page mentions bird tables. Since April 2026 the RSPB and the BTO advise against them, and say to feed seeds and peanuts only from November to April. What changed, and why.
Through the year
Pied wagtail: around Jan to Dec; winter roosts; some leave for southern Europe, Nov to Feb; first eggs laid 15 Apr to 1 Jul, average 17 May (BTO); first chicks leave the nest 12 May to 29 Jul (worked out from BTO).
What to know about the pied wagtail
Eight short notes in our own words. Each chip says what the note stands on, and links to its row in the table below.
What to look for
The striking black and white plumage and the long, constantly wagging tail make the name self-explanatory.
Male and female
The video does not say whether male and female pied wagtails look different.
not in the video
The young
The yellow-tinged juveniles can be a little puzzling, but having adult birds close by clears up any confusion.
Song and call
The video does not describe the voice. BTO says the call is a characteristic chirrup.
Nest
Usually substantial: a cup of grass lined with feathers, placed in some kind of cavity. Holes and wall crevices are popular, natural or man-made.
Feeding
Insects are still the preferred food. The video says modern farming has cut the number of small flying insects, so the bird has had to adapt, and in harsh conditions it has even been known to take bread from winter bird tables.
Staying or leaving
Officially a British resident, commonest around water but also on farmland and in town parks and gardens. The video says many leave for the warm Mediterranean when winter sets in. BTO says most pied wagtails stay, with only some winter movement into southern Europe, and this guide goes with BTO.
In the garden
In winter pied wagtails gather in roosts, the video says of up to a thousand birds.
Sources and checks
Where every fact about the pied wagtail came from
18 claims about the pied wagtail: 7 checked, 6 from the video only,2 differ, 3 from a source only. How the grades work
| Claim, in our words | Video time | Grade | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pied wagtails have striking black and white plumage and a long, constantly wagging tail. | 31:48 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO describes black, white and grey plumage and a bobbing tail, wagged rapidly up and down. |
| Yellow-tinged juveniles can be a little puzzling, but adult birds nearby clear up the confusion. | 31:57 | video only | |
| BTO says the pied wagtail has a characteristic chirrup call. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO's introduction to the species. |
| Insects are the preferred food. | 32:17 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO says it is often seen running over the ground pursuing insect prey. |
| Modern agricultural techniques have reduced small flying insects, so the species had to adapt; in harsh conditions it has even taken bread from winter bird tables. | 32:06 | video only | |
| The pied wagtail is officially a British resident. | 32:26 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO says the pied wagtail is mostly sedentary. |
| It is commonest around waterside habitats, but is also seen on farmland and in town parks and gardens. | 32:29 | video only | |
| Many will choose to migrate to warmer Mediterranean climes when winter sets in.video: many migrate to the Mediterranean | 32:38 | ≠differs | BTO, read 2026-10-05: mostly sedentary; ringing data show some winter movements into southern EuropeBTO's introduction to the species. |
| Nests are usually substantial: a cup of grass lined with feathers, in some kind of cavity, with holes and wall crevices popular. | 32:44 | video only | |
| Five to six eggs.video: 5–6 eggs | 32:57 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 5–6 eggs (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 5–6 |
| They hatch after two weeks.video: 14 days | 32:59 | ≠differs | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 13 days (BTO typical)outside BTO's typical range of 13, though inside the 12–14.5 BTO has observed |
| The chicks fly the nest two weeks later.video: 14 days | 33:00 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 13.5–15 days (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 13.5–15 |
| Two broods are more usual.video: 2 broods | 33:05 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 2 broods (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 2 |
| Occasionally there will be three broods in a year. | 33:02 | video only | BTO lists two broods as typical and gives no exceptional third. |
| During winter pied wagtails gather in roosts. | 33:07 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO says it gathers in large roosts on rooftops and in trees in winter. |
| The roosts can be of up to a thousand birds. | 33:11 | video only | |
| Adult weight, from ringing records: 22.9 g, adult average. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 22.9 g, adult average |
| Timing of the first clutch: first eggs laid around 17 May (15 Apr-1 Jul). | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: first eggs laid around 17 May (15 Apr-1 Jul) |
Written in our own words after “British Birds in your Garden” by The Great British Channel, where the pied wagtail starts at 31:48.Numbers are checked against the BTO's page for the pied wagtail, read on 5 October 2026. We are not connected to the channel or to the BTO.
More birbs: 30 so far, and more to come
The coins down the right of the screen are all 30. Tap one to go to that bird.