.ןתבנז ילאילחנ (360






Grey Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Grey Wagtail




Motacilla cinerea
Motacilla cinerea
Motacilla cinerea


לארשי

,םיבוהצ תש לעהו תשה ,ןוחגה ,םילאילחנה ןיב רתויב ךוראה ובנז :ןתבנז ילאילחנ
ספו רופא ושאר ,לוחכ-רופא ובג .בוהצל רשאמ ןבל ילאילחנל רתוי המוד תאז תורמל
.םינבל ןהילושו תומוחש ויפנכ תורבא .וב טלוב ןבלה הבגה
.יחלל םניב לידבמ קד ןבל ספו םיריחשמ םה ץיקה תארקל ,םינבל ןורגהו רטנסה
.הפוריא ןופצו חרזמ תא איצוהל תיטקראילפ-סנרטה םירוזאב ערתשמ ולודיג תיב
.םיקותמ םימ תודג לע ףרוחב ,םימרוז םימ דיל םירהו תועבג ותויח םוקמ
.ץראה ירוזא בורב ידמל חיכש ףרוח רקבמו חרוא רבוע ץראב
Subspecies and Distribution.
M. c. patriciae Azores. M. c. schmitzi Madeira. M. c. canariensis Canary islands. M. c. cinerea N-W Africa and Europe, east to Caucasus and Iran. M. c. melanope Asia, from Ural mountains and Afganistan E to middle Amur river. M. c. robusta E Asia from Kamchatka and Okhotsk Sea region S to N-E China and Japan.

Descriptive notes.

18-19 cm, 15-21 g, wingspan 25-27 cm. Longer and more attenuated than any other west Palearctic wagtail, with slimness of rear body enhanced by exccptionally long tail.
Very graceful, lithe, slim wagtail, with almost constantly grey above and yellow below. Wings largely black and tail black with white outer feathers. Male has black bib in summer.
Flight action exceptionally bounding. sexes dissimilar, seasonal variation marked in male.

Habitat.

Iwest Palearctic, occurs mainly in temperate middle and lower-middle latitudes, overlapping sparingly into boreal and Mediterranean. Typical breeding habitats include combination of:
1) Fresh water, especially fast-running streams and rivers, but also canals, lowland streams, and margins of lakes, both oligotrophic and eutrophic.
2) Rock slabs, boulders, vertical rock faces, shingle or gravel stream beds, or artefacts.
3) Sheltering trees, shrubs, or dense herbage.
4)Holes, ledges, or hollows for nesting.

Food and Feeding

Diet based on insects. Two main foraging techniques:
1) Bird walks or runs, repeatedly picking up small items or chasing more mobile prey, with tail wagging and snapping up, down, or to one side,apparently to flush insects, may also wade in shallow water picking up tadpoles or lunging for small fish.
2) Flies from perch or ground, in addition, may hover to obtain flying insects or prey from leaves or tree crevices.

Breeding.

Apr-May in N-W Europe, Mar-May in North Africa, May in Azores, Mar-May in Canary Is.
Nest site in hole or crevice in wall or bank, and among tree roots, sometimes under bridge. Nest cup of grass, roots and small twigs, often with moss, lined hair. Build by both sexes.
4-6 eggs, sub-elliptical, smooth and glossy, whitish, cream or grey-buff, faintly marked grey or grey-buff. Incubation by both sexes.

Movements.

Mainly a partial migrant, but wholly migratory or resident in some parts of range. Found in winter throughout most of European breeding range but some move to Africa as far south as southern Malawi.
Winter range also includes Middle East, and birds from central and eastern Asia move to India and south-east Asia as far as New Guinea.
Population fo Azores, Madeira and Canary Is. are resident.

Status and Conservation

Not globally threatened. Became established in central Europe shortly after 1850.

Israel.

In Israel two subspecies M. c. cinerea a quite common migrant and winter visitor, and M. c. cilanope a very rare migrant.

M. c. cinerea
(in Israel)

M. c. robusta

M. c. cinerea

M. c. robusta

HOME NEXT