BillN
Hall of Famer
- Location
- S W France
- Name
- Bill
Bill, that's a very good question. There's a Pied Wagtail which is close to being a UK endemic species. However a friend of mine has been colour ringing both Pied and White Wagtails at Slapton in the Autumn and some Pied Wagtails have been seen as far south as Senegal, so Pied Wagtails do occur on the continent. White Wagtails are the real continental bird with some passing through the UK to nest in Iceland.
The grey on your bird is probably light enough to be a White Wagtail and the real clincher is the colour of the rump, grey for a White Wagtail and blackish for a Pied. Difficult to be certain with that bird, it shades out in that view, but I'd go more for White. Just to confuse things, they can inter breed!!
Barrie
Thanks Barrie
I thought the White Wagtail was another name for the Pied Wagtail
SW France about 100kms inland
These birds are quite common around here - I'll try to get a few more images - but the above was taken at the end of October when the light was good - now the light is awful
another shot taken on the same day - but 20 mins later so may not be the same bird