Guide to North American Birds

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Photo: Doug Wechsler/Vireo

Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Motacilla tschutschensis

This Asian species is common over much of western and northern Alaska in summer, nesting around scrub willow thickets on the tundra. If a birder intrudes on their nesting territory, a pair of Yellow Wagtails will often hover overhead, repeatedly calling in shrill voices.

Conservation status	Alaskan population seems to be doing well.
Family	Wagtails and Pipits
Habitat	Willow scrub on tundra, marshy country. In Alaska, breeds on tundra, especially in areas with low thickets of dwarf willow or birch. In the Old World, various races of Yellow Wagtail are found in practically any kind of open country.

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Feeding Behavior

Feeds on ground or along edge of very shallow water. Forages by walking and picking up items, by making quick dashes to grab active insects, or by flying up to catch insects in the air. Sometimes may pick insects from foliage while hovering.

Eggs

In Alaska, 4-5 eggs, sometimes 3-6. Whitish to buff, heavily dotted with brown. Incubation is by both parents (but female may do more), 11-13 days. Young: Both parents feed nestlings. Young leave the nest about 10-13 days after hatching, but often unable to fly for another 3-6 days.

Young

Both parents feed nestlings. Young leave the nest about 10-13 days after hatching, but often unable to fly for another 3-6 days.

Diet

Mostly insects. Diet in North America not known in detail. In Eurasia, feeds on a wide variety of insects including midges and other flies, beetles, aphids, ants, and many others. Also eats spiders, plus a few small snails, worms, berries, and seeds.

Nesting

Male may sing in flight to defend territory and attract a mate. In courtship on ground, male may crouch with drooped wings and tail, body feathers fluffed up, while he runs around female; also may hover over her with tail spread widely. Nest site is on ground, usually well hidden under low matted shrub or overhanging grass, or tucked into side of sedge hummock. Nest (probably built by female only) is a cup of grass, leaves, weeds, moss, lichens, lined with softer material such as animal hair or feathers.

Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
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Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from
Lives of North American Birds

Migration

In Alaska, mostly arrives in late May and departs in August. Birds from Alaska probably winter mostly in the Australasian region.

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Migration

In Alaska, mostly arrives in late May and departs in August. Birds from Alaska probably winter mostly in the Australasian region.

All Seasons - Common
All Seasons - Uncommon
Breeding - Common
Breeding - Uncommon
Winter - Common
Winter - Uncommon
Migration - Common
Migration - Uncommon

Songs and Calls

Rarely sings, but often utters a call: tsweep. Alarm note sounds like ple-ple-ple.

Audio © Lang Elliott, Bob McGuire, Kevin Colver, Martyn Stewart and others.
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How Climate Change Will Reshape the Range of the Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect this bird’s range in the future.

Zoom in to see how this species’s current range will shift, expand, and contract under increased global temperatures.

Climate threats facing the Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.