Yellow Wagtail - subspecies? (1 Viewer)

[Gonçalo Elias]

Hello all,

This Yellow Wagtail was photographed today, 24 September, at Aveiro, central Portugal.

I am not sure what subspecies it belongs to, as the bird seems to have some features of flavissima and also of flava.

Could it be a 'Channel Wagtail'?

Any opinions will be appreciated.

 

[rosbifs]

It's more flava for me...

 

[Gonçalo Elias]

Flava was my first impression, but it doesn't look pure, as it has some greenish patches on the head...

 

[Deb Burhinus]

I sometimes wonder if the taxonomy of Yellow Wagtails has been stretched too far - there are so many intergrades and hybrids it’s hard to know what one is looking at half the time!

It looks like a Sykes (at least in part!) but at least M.f

https://radioactiverobins.com/archi...kess yellow wagtail motacilla flava beema.htm

 

[rosbifs]

I have great fun tracking down cow fields in September searching for Yellow Wagtails, which don't Breed here but pass on migration. I'm looking for an elusive Citrine Wagtail essentially.

I'm always presented with a field full of birds that bear some resemblance to the bird books but little resemblance to each other. The odd whiter coloured birds always draw my attention. When dealing with flocks it's super hard to try and sift through the calls - maybe should put a recorder out there...

I haven't managed to find a Citrine yet and the white ones turn out to be Yellow. That said I have found some 'English' yellows and one 'thunbergi' (April not Sept).

I see lots of shades of 'blue' headed but am yet to find a channel - it's bizarre as they must fairly common and presumably mostly pass through the Pyrenees, Spain and some find their way to Portugal - where some Yellow overwinter now.

Anyway, I don't really see anything out of the 'norms' that I see through here.

https://www.birdguides.com/articles/focus-on-shades-of-yellow-wagtail