Ethiopia -- Citrine Wagtail?? (1 Viewer)

[jstanleyg]

Greetings,

I looked over a few other posts on this forum as well as some photos online and I think that I may have spotted a Citrine Wagtail this week in Bishoftu (Debre Zeit). The back looked completely gray to me. I saw a lot of Yellow Wagtails, as usual, but this one with a very yellow head (supercilium and throat) and gray back looked different to me. Let me know what you think!

Peace,
Justin

 

[JWN Andrewes]

I see what you mean, but I don't think Citrine would show greenish flecks in the lower back/rump, nor so yellow and undertail. There are some rather odd looking flava Wags about that can bring Citrine to mind. I've been wrong footed before!

 

[James Jobling]

Is this a Golden Pipit Tmetothylacus tenellus?

 

[THE_FERN]

Is this a Golden Pipit Tmetothylacus tenellus?

Surely not. That's southern afaik and looks rather different

 

[James Jobling]

The Golden Pipit often perches in bushes and does occur in central Ethiopia. The Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola is only a rare vagrant to Ethiopia, and this photo doesn't give the right vibe.

 

[Bewick]

The Golden Pipit often perches in bushes and does occur in central Ethiopia. The Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola is only a rare vagrant to Ethiopia, and this photo doesn't give the right vibe.

As mentioned above, this bird is a Western Yellow wagtail, it is structurally wrong- Golden pipit's have stubby-ish bills and shorter tails (not long-tailed like the wagtail in the pic above)- and plumage-wise it is also wrong- even the immature males would not have the greys or the blacks, and would not have the white outer-tail feathers.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

It is clearly a Motacilla - white outer tail feathers, long tail, un-streaked mantle, whitish edges to tertials and coverts etc. There appears to be some colour coming into the rump and mantle, but a rather curious mixture of Citrine and WYW features (e.g. ear coverts and grey tones of mantle/nape).
Edit: Cross-post with Bewick

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

I've seen Citrine Wagtail in Ethiopia long time ago. This bird is not Citrine because there's yellow on the undertail, among other details.

My record was in 1997...

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

It is clearly a Motacilla - white outer tail feathers, long tail, un-streaked mantle, whitish edges to tertials and coverts etc. There appears to be some colour coming into the rump and mantle, but a rather curious mixture of Citrine and WYW features (e.g. ear coverts and grey tones of mantle/nape).

It is a very common phenotype in East Africa.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

It is a very common phenotype in East Africa.

Interesting - I don't have as much field experience as you in Africa Valery, but I can't recall seeing similar birds before - do you have any photos (or links) to similar birds please?

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

Is this a Golden Pipit Tmetothylacus tenellus?

This is Golden Pipit...

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

Interesting - I don't have as much field experience as you in Africa Valery, but I can't recall seeing similar birds before - do you have any photos (or links) to similar birds please?

I will try to dig a bit when I find the time, but as far as I remember, I don't think so. While guiding in East Africa, most clients prefer to look for endemics and local specials than spend time taking photos of groups of Yellow Wagtails that they have back home in Europe...

 

[dwatsonbirder]

I will try to dig a bit when I find the time, but as far as I remember, I don't think so. While guiding in East Africa, most clients prefer to look for endemics and local specials than spend time taking photos of groups of Yellow Wagtails that they have back home in Europe...

Thanks Valery, I had a quick look under WYW on ebird (immature filter applied) and didn't see anything that resembled this particular individual, there were a few mis-identified Citrine in there too though. I can appreciate that the humble wagtail is pretty low on folks radar when in Africa, but watching them feeding around the feet of elephants, or flycatching from the jaws of a crocodile really brings home the incredible migration (and global connection) that species like this undertake.