Yellow dweller of wet meadows

click to play video

The citrine wagtail (Motacilla citreola)

I did not come across these birds in my city, but every year I see them in the neighboring region when I go to visit my relatives. We call this bird "the yellow-headed wagtail". This bird lives in open spaces such as meadows. Just in that region there are only meadows, steppe, and no forests. Almost all wagtails gravitate towards water bodies, with the exception of white wagtails, which have become synanthropic. Therefore, it is clear why this bird chose wet meadows.

Her behavior is typical for all species of these birds. She briskly runs on the ground in search of food, and actively shakes her tail. It is still unclear why they are shaking their tails. One theory is that this is how they shrug off annoying insects.