In the splash zone
Most of the World's Pied Wagtails breed in Britain and Ireland, being replaced on the Continent by White Wagtails, which occur in Britain on passage. Small numbers of Pied Wagtails breed in northern France, the Low Countries and southern Norway. Occasionally Continental White Wagtails breed in Britain, especially on the Northern Isles. Where Pied and Wagtails breed in the same place they select mates of their own type. This assortative mating was sufficient evidence to treat Hooded and Carrion Crows as different species but for the time being Pied and White Wagtails are considered to be one species. The distinctive subspecies yarrellii (named after British naturalist William Yarrell 1784-1856) has a darker grey back, which is black in adult males but pale grey in White Wagtails (subspecies alba). Most British Pied Wagtails are resident in Britain but some migrate south to spend the winter in Iberia and Western France. The White Wagtails that occur in Britain on passage are mainly Icelandic breeders (plus some from Faeroes and Greenland) and these winter around the Mediterranean with some migrating to sub-Saharan Africa.
This is a juvenile Pied Wagtail in the splash zone of a reservoir in the Peak District Moors. It is quite a common breeding species with about 460,000 pairs in Britain.
In the splash zone
Most of the World's Pied Wagtails breed in Britain and Ireland, being replaced on the Continent by White Wagtails, which occur in Britain on passage. Small numbers of Pied Wagtails breed in northern France, the Low Countries and southern Norway. Occasionally Continental White Wagtails breed in Britain, especially on the Northern Isles. Where Pied and Wagtails breed in the same place they select mates of their own type. This assortative mating was sufficient evidence to treat Hooded and Carrion Crows as different species but for the time being Pied and White Wagtails are considered to be one species. The distinctive subspecies yarrellii (named after British naturalist William Yarrell 1784-1856) has a darker grey back, which is black in adult males but pale grey in White Wagtails (subspecies alba). Most British Pied Wagtails are resident in Britain but some migrate south to spend the winter in Iberia and Western France. The White Wagtails that occur in Britain on passage are mainly Icelandic breeders (plus some from Faeroes and Greenland) and these winter around the Mediterranean with some migrating to sub-Saharan Africa.
This is a juvenile Pied Wagtail in the splash zone of a reservoir in the Peak District Moors. It is quite a common breeding species with about 460,000 pairs in Britain.