kas said:
Is this a Pied or a White Wagtail?
There isnt much to go on in the books, so I am looking for some help and tips on ID. Thanks.
I am thinking this is a white, due to the difference in colour between the grey back and black head.
Hi Kas
I would hazard a guess this would be a male
alba - mainly because the photo suggests a very clear distinction between the black head and nape, to the mantle. The mantle overall appears to the same lighter tone you would expect with a
cinerea Grey compared to
yarrelliis. Also with the white wags, the rump is the same pale grey whereas with the pieds, it fades into darker area as it meets uppertail coverts.
Overall, I think the confusion would be between a female yarrellii (pale mantle) and a male
alba as the male pied is much much darker than the photo suggests. However, the female
yarrellii does not have the black complete hood.
The only question for me is the apparent roundness of the shape and maybe some darker patches on the mantle, which would suggest female pied - and not being able to see the fading of the hood could be because of body position - anyhow, that could be just to do with the photo quality.
To be honest, I was only able to distinquish these initially by seeing both species in my garden together for several days LOL
..anyway, someone with more experience may disagree!