Citrine or Yellow Wagtail, India (1 Viewer)

[Tom Tarrant]

This bird was recently posted on Delhibird, OBpix from India. I think that it's probably a Citrine but he believes that it's just a race of Yellow. Can someone send a few pointers to the correct ID?

 

[Ian Hamiltan]

This bird was recently posted on Delhibird, OBpix from India. I think that it's probably a Citrine but he believes that it's just a race of Yellow. Can someone send a few pointers to the correct ID?

hi tom
looks like a citrine to me,if it is a citrine ive no idea what race it is.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Grey mantle, black hind-crown, whacking great white wing bars and white undertail covts all point to Citrine. There is a subspecies of Yellow, lutea occuring in India with a very yellow face, but it lacks the other features I've just mentioned.

Now someone will probably tell me it's ahybrid or something !

 

[deborah4]

Grey mantle, black hind-crown, whacking great white wing bars and white undertail covts all point to Citrine. There is a subspecies of Yellow, lutea occuring in India with a very yellow face, but it lacks the other features I've just mentioned.

Wagtails eh! Almost as bad as gulls Citreola winters in SE Asia according to Collins, which is what this looks like (um is it Autumn there now? - getting muddled with my longditudes and latitudes )

 

[StuartReeves]

Grey mantle, black hind-crown, whacking great white wing bars and white undertail covts all point to Citrine. There is a subspecies of Yellow, lutea occuring in India with a very yellow face, but it lacks the other features I've just mentioned.

Now someone will probably tell me it's ahybrid or something !

Resisting the temptation to use the H-word, I think Larry has hit the nail on the head with the ID and the features.

PS the grey mantle suggests M.c.citreola, whereas the form that breeds in India and is more widepsread as a winterer as far as I can make out, is M.c. calcarata which has a black mantle. Maybe this has contributed to the ID confusion?

 

[riyat]

Grey mantle+black crown= M.citreola
The mantle is always greenish-grey in yellow wagtail (including lutea and flavissima races).
For the race ! think it is M.c.citreola which is frequently seen in Turkey.
One from Central Turkey:
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/riyattgul/detail?.dir=1fb2re2&.dnm=bda3scd.jpg&.src=ph

 

[JANJ]

Of course it´s a Citrine Wagtail with those wide white wingbars and grey upperparts, and it´s a male, blackisk nape. Question is if it´s an adult or a 2cy. The mottling on the crown and what it looks like - brownish primaries and primary coverts or any retained juvenile outer greater coverts (not easy to judge for certain in the image) would suggest a 2cy male. Some adult males with less developed summer plumage shows mottling on crown quite similar to a 2cy. but usually with deeper yellow head and underparts, no dark marks on the breast.

JanJ

 

[BobTag]

Classic Citrine!

 

[Cristian Mihai]

This bird was recently posted on Delhibird, OBpix from India. I think that it's probably a Citrine but he believes that it's just a race of Yellow. Can someone send a few pointers to the correct ID?

Male Citrine.