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Hybrid Pied/White wagtail? (1 Viewer)

prestoy

Member
A week ago I came across this adult wagtail (see picture), which puzzles me a bit. My experience with Pieds is limited, so I hope some of you can help with the correct id.

The wagtail was dark (blackish) on the upper part of the back, and dark (sooty black) on the rump. The head-pattern looks to me like that of an adult male wagtail. If I've seen this wagtail alone I would probably have guessed it was a female Pied, but this one fed 2 juveniles together with a female White wagtail. That fact suggests to me that this probably is a male Pied/White hybrid. Now, I've never seen a Pied/White hybrid and haven't found any pictures or references of it on the web. Your opinion about this individual is therefore highly appreciated.

Ståle Prestøy, Trondheim, Norway
 

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Hej Ståle,

I'd say you are correct with this ident. It is also exactly the sort of place where a hybrid could be expected, on the Norwegian SW coast (the closest point to the normal range of Pied!). There are quite a lot of records of Pied x White pairings on the NE UK coast, so these hybrids are certainly produced regularly.

Michael

PS I see this is your first post - welcome to the forums!
 
Glad you got this sorted and shows the good of the forum. Welcome and I hope we see more from your country. I think you might be one of a few Norwegian members. :hi:
 
Thanks for confirming my id of this bird!

This year there seem to be more "clean" Pied wagtails observed in my part of Norway than previous years. Maybe we will find more hybrids next year?

BTW: is it possible that Pied and White wagtails will be split into two races i the future?
 
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