Grey wagtail: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the grey wagtail lives – recorded in 78 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Motacilla cinerea
Group	Songbirds & perching birds
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	78 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania
Mass	1.91 g (birth weight); 17.4 g (adult weight)
Class	Bird
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Motacillidae

Where does the grey wagtail live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the grey wagtail in 78 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. Wikidata gives its range as: Nanling Mountains, People's Republic of China, Africa, Hefei, Indonesia.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is a grey wagtail?

Wikidata records the following for the grey wagtail: mass 1.91 g (birth weight); 17.4 g (adult weight).

Is the grey wagtail endangered?

The grey wagtail’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the grey wagtail?

The grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) is a bird in the order Passeriformes and the family Motacillidae, genus Motacilla. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the grey wagtail

The grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) is a member of the wagtail family, Motacillidae, measuring around 18–19 cm overall length. The species looks somewhat similar to the yellow wagtail but has the yellow on its underside restricted to the throat and vent. Breeding males have a black throat. The species is widely distributed, with several populations breeding in Eurosiberia and migrating to tropical regions in Asia and Africa. The species is always associated with running water when breeding, although they may use man-made structures near streams for the nest. Outside the breeding season, they may also be seen around lakes, coasts and other watery habitats. Like other wagtails, they frequently wag their tail and fly low with undulations and they have a sharp call that is often given in flight.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Grey wagtail (revision 1323720993), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q201316 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).