Species profile
Eastern Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla tschutschensis
Quick answer
Range Subspecies? Biak. Status Palearctic migrant. Uncommon but regular Palearctic migrant to New Guinea (Beehler & Pratt 2016). 7 October 1997: SvB saw one at Wadibu, Biak, on a substrate of pebbles and dry sand. It had uniform dirty greyish-yellow underparts, with the breast-sides washed grey, a pronounced pale supercilium, uniform greyish-brown upperparts, wings with several fine pale bars; legs greyish brown; bill with a pinkish gape (?); white outer tail feathers. It pumped its tail and uttered a single tsreep in flight. A second bird was seen a short while later in the same area.
- Scientific name
- Motacilla tschutschensis
- Family
- Motacillidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Genus
- Motacilla
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
Recording Eastern Yellow Wagtail in your journal
When you see this bird, log the sighting with the date, the place and any photos. If it's your first, Feather Journal marks it as a lifer and adds it to your life list automatically — no spreadsheet, no re-typing.