African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp)

African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp) belongs to the family Motacillidae, and measures about 18.5 to 19 cm in length. The black-and-white wagtail is immaculate and strikingly patterned. African pied wagtails can be found in sub-Saharan Africa, from the Eastern Cape to northern Egypt, as well as in Guinea, northern Eritrea, and Somalia. Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mauritania, and the Western Cape are among the countries where it is found as a vagrant. African pied wagtails eat insects primarily, although they also eat grass seeds, tadpoles, small fish, and human food scraps.

In the field, it may not be obvious that it is slightly larger than White wagtails. It is also known as the African Wagtail. A combination of black upper parts distinguishes adult males and females of the summer. There is a large amount of white on their wings, a black U-shaped breast band that joins black ear covers, leaving only a small area of white on either side of the neck, and a long white supercilium.

Some races of whites display some of these characteristics (extensive white can be seen on the wings of personata, and white neck patches can be seen on subpersonata). Winter Whites of Moroccan race subpersonal are most similar to the British-breeding race Yarrellii (‘Pied Wagtail’). The upper parts of this bird are gray, lacking extensive white on the wings, and the forehead and center of the ear covers are white.

On the wings of immature and adult female winters, black areas have been replaced by grey, but white remains on the body. During the flight, it displays a striking wing pattern of black and white, with broad white fringes on coverts and white bases on flight feathers. Waterside birds are very much like this bird.

Adult male winter is duller, more grayish-black, than summer, but there is no change in the basic pattern. Summer females are similar to winter males, but the white on their wings is less extensive. Thus, winter females have grayer upper parts, but dull black and white head patterns. The juvenile birds are similar to adults, but are brownish-grey rather than black, with less white on the wings, a partially broken breast band, and a less clearly defined head pattern.

Although white is less extensive in the wings of the first winter, the two species are often indistinguishable. African pied wagtails live in subtropical or tropical grasslands, rivers, and, sometimes, freshwater marshes that are flooded seasonally. Towns and villages in some areas share their habitat with humans.

White’s flight call is a bit sweeter, more monosyllabic, a slightly slurred “treep.” There are more variations and melodies in the song than in White Wagtail. Lakeshores, sand banks, and riversides are the most common areas where it can be found, often near human settlements. This monogamous bird nests in tangles of sticks near water in a cup-shaped nest lined with grass and feathers.