General

Eastern Yellow Wagtail: Small wagtail (tschutschensis), with olive-green upperparts and yellow underparts with brown spots on sides of breast. Throat is white with faint brown necklace. Gray head has black ear patches and distinct white eyebrows. Wings are dark with two white bars. Tail is very long, black with white edges and wags constantly. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has buff underparts.

Range and Habitat

Eastern Yellow Wagtail: Breeds in northern and western Alaska and Aleutians. Spends winters in Eurasia. Preferred habitats include wet meadows, riverbanks, and lakeshores.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"pee-weet, pee-weet", "tsweep", "ijit-jijit"

Interesting Facts

 The Eastern Yellow Wagtail has been identified as the wild bird most likely to carry the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian flu from Asia to Alaska.

 It overwinters in the epicenter of Asian H5N1 outbreaks in southeast Asia and Indonesia where it uses open areas with water, is often associated with agriculture and domestic animals, and congregates into flocks of thousands of birds at evening roosts.

 They are thus likely to become infected with Asian H5N1 through direct contact with both wild and domestic birds in Asia and carry it to Alaska where an estimated 1,400,000 individuals of the species breeds.

 A group of wagtails are collectively known as a "flock" of wagtails.

Author

Gary Owen Dick