Page 8 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

INTRODUCTION

HOW THIS BOOK WORKS

his guide covers just under 800 bird species from the 1 COMMON SPECIES
TWestern Palearctic region (Europe, the Middle East, and The main section of the book features
North Africa). The species are organized into three sections: the 321 most commonly seen European
the first profiles common European species, with each bird species. Each entry follows the
given detailed, full-page treatment; the second covers over same easy-to-access structure.
200 rarer birds in concise, quarter-page entries; the third
section consists of a list of rare visitors (vagrants) as well as
birds that live in North Africa and the Middle East.
Order Passeriformes Family Motacillidae
INTRODUCTION COLOUR BAND Pied Wagtail
1
The species are organized The information bands at black cap, c
throat (whit
the top and bottom of
conventionally by order and family. each entry are colour- and throat o
breeding se
This means related birds appear coded for each family. blackish white streaks
on wings
rump black bac
together, with a group introduction. greyer back
than male’s
COMMON NAME
MALE
(SUMMER)
PIPITS AND WAGTAILS
Family Motacillidae FEMALE
IN FLIGHT (PIED)
PIPITS AND WAGTAILS
Illustrations show the bird in
HILE SIMILAR TO LARKS, these are
Wsmaller, slimmer birds with longer tails flight, from above and/or IN FLIGHT
and a more steeply undulating flight.They lack
the larks’ prolonged song-flights but the pipits below (note that differences
have more ritualized song-flight patterns and greyer head and
less varied songs. upperparts than
of season, age, or sex are not
PIPITS adult male’s
Streaky brown is the typical description of a GREY OR YELLOW? always visible in flight). long, white-edged
pipit: species can be hard to tell apart. Calls help, Although called the Grey Wagtail, this bird confuses many people with black tail
as does the time of year, habitat, and location. its yellow coloration.
Similar species pairs may have different lifestyles, buffish
such as Meadow Pipits (moorland in summer, which breeds beside fast-flowing streams, is
lowlands in winter) and Tree Pipits (woodland a regular bird on urban rooftops in winter. DESCRIPTION below
edge in summer,Africa in winter).There is little Male and female plumages are often different
plumage variation between sexes and seasons. and winter plumages are duller than summer Conveys the main features MALE
ones; juveniles are also recognizably different. JUVENILE
WAGTAILS Some species are resident in Europe, others and essential character of (SUMMER; PIED)
More boldly patterned or more colourful than migrate to Africa for the winter.
pipits,the wagtails are often associated with water
or wet meadowland. Pied and White Wagtails, the species including: idespread and familiar, the Pied (or White) Wagtail is frequent
however, are more likely than almost any other
bird to be seen on tarmac or concrete in Wseen in and around towns, often feeding on areas of tarmac,
urban areas and even the Grey Wagtail,
VOICE: a description of the concrete, or stone slabs. It is also frequently seen on roofs, from whi
species’ calls and songs. it typically calls before moving off: its call is a useful
indicator of its presence. In summer, it can be found
anywhere from builder’s yards and woodsheds to
NESTING: the type of nest and
remote quarries and natural cliffs and along stony river
its usual location; the or lake sides.Although creating few identification
number of eggs in a clutch; problems, its non-breeding plumages are quite complex.
the number of broods in VOICE Calls loud, musical chrip, chuwee, chrruwee, and
variants, merging into harder, unmusical tissik or chiswit;
a year; the breeding season. song mixes similar calls and trills.
NESTING Grassy cup in cavity in bank, cliff, or
FEEDING: how, where, and
LONG CLAW woodpile, in outbuilding or under bridge; 5 or 6 eggs;
Meadow and Tree Pipits are closely similar,
but the Meadow Pipit has a long hind claw, what the species feeds on. 2 or 3 broods;April–August.
at least as long as the toe, as seen here: on
a Tree Pipit it is shorter. FEEDING Feeds very actively on ground, roofs, or
COMMUN
waterside mud or rocks, walking, running, leaping up
278 Pied Wagtails
SIMILAR SPECIES or sideways, or flying in pursuit of flies; takes insects, in hundreds i
Similar-looking species are molluscs, and some seeds. centres or ins
identified and the key
SIMILAR SPECIES
differences pointed out.
MAPS 3 = male, 2 = female GREY WAGTAIL 32; YELLOW WAGTAIL
juvenile, similar to
yellow rump;
see p.287 juvenile; different
call; see p.286
Each profile includes a map showing the range
LENGTH, WINGSPAN AND WEIGHT: browner
of the species, with colours reflecting seasonal yellow
length is tip of tail to tip of under tail
movements. Migration ranges are not always
bill; measurements are
mapped, as some migrants simply leave one site,
averages or ranges.
turn up in another, and are not seen in between.
Length 18cm (7in) Wingspan 25–30cm (10–12in)
SOCIAL: the social unit the
KEY species is usually found in. Social Winter flocks Lifespan Up to 5 years
Summer
distribution
LIFESPAN: the average or
Resident all maximum life expectancy.
year
Winter STATUS: the conservation HABITAT/BEHAVIOUR MAPS
distribution status of the species; the Additional photographs See panel left.
Seen on symbol † means the data show the species displaying
migration available can only suggest typical behaviour in one of
a provisional status. its preferred habitats.
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