Wagtail, Yellow

Conservation status:

Common

Description:

In male, head colour differs, depending on race, of which eight have been recorded in the region. Racial variation is given below:

flava: blue-grey crown and ear-coverts; long white supercilium; chin and sometimes sides of throat white.

thunbergi: dark grey crown, with no sharp demarcation to upperparts but contrasting with very dark grey ear-coverts, usually no supercilium or white on chin and throat.

feldegg: entire head and nape glossy black, with sharp demarcation to dark olive-green upperparts and entire underparts bright yellow.

cinereocapilla: resemble thunbergi but throat generally whitish.

lutea: whole head yellow, some with olive crown and ear-coverts, upperparts yellow-olive.

beema: pale greyish crown and ear-coverts (can be darker grey), long, broad white supercilium and whitish chin.

melanogrisea: resembles feldegg but back paler olive, underparts paler yellow, chin and sides of throat white.

leucocephala: whitish head, tinged grey on rear-crown and ear-coverts. Females of all races browner, less bright yellow below with dull heads; on passage racial identification often not possible except for lutea and beema. Some 1st autumn beema lack any yellow below (normally tinged yellow on rear underparts in other races), are greyish above (normally tinged olive-brown in other races) and show fairly prominent whitish wing-bars, thus resembling 1st autumn Citrine. Hybrids between various races occur making racial determination very tricky.