Things you need to know about the PIED WAGTAIL!

What do pied wagtails eat? Where do they nest? How long do they live for?
All that and more in this short pied wagtail fact-file.

Here is the script I wrote for the video:
A carpark might seem like a strange place to start a wildlife fact file, but the reason for this is simple, Urban pied wagtails have made a name for themselves as carpark dwellers. These black and white birds are a sub species of the white wagtail which is found across most of Europe, northern Africa, Asia and even occasionally breeds in western Alaska. They have a wingspan of up to 30cm, grow to weigh just 27 grams and their most notable feature is their constantly wagging tail. There have been a few suggestions for why they do this including communicating with one another and for flushing out insects but the leading theory is that its a signal to predators that they are healthy and alert and will get away if chased.
In southern England they don't migrate large distances but can move to good feeding areas such as farmland during the colder months. For the rest of the year they can be found in pretty much any open habitat including parks, beaches, wasteland areas and along fresh water courses. Those birds from the more northern part of the county do migrate in colder years and have been known to travel as far as Africa to spend the winter.
For the most part a pied wagtails diet is made up of insects and they are particularly fond of flies which they expertly snatch from the air. They will however also feed on seeds and scraps where invertebrates are in short supply.
Nesting starts from mid April when the female alone creates a nest of twigs, grass, dead leaves and moss lined with hair wool and feathers. These are often in rock cervices, hollow trees or holes in walls but they will also nest directly on the ground or sometimes on top of the abandoned nests of other birds. The female will then lay five or six speckled blue white eggs which the pair share the incubation of for 12 to 14 days. After the chicks hatch, both parents feed them in the nest until they fledge at around 2 weeks of age. After fledging the lighter coloured young birds follow their parents around, constantly begging for food. This lasts for a further 2 to 3 weeks after which point the young move out of the territory and the parents start nesting again. Each pair can have 2 to three broods in a year although those in upland areas may only attempt to nest once per season.
Pied wagtails have had a long history alongside people and as such have developed several nicknames over the years, these include penny and polly dishwasher. Its thought this was given to them as they would often be seen in the same areas where people would wash their pots and pans before most homes had running water. In the winter in urban areas, pied wagtails can form really large overnight roosts of upto 3000 birds. Unfortunately I cant show you this as there are no copyright free images but its worth a google. There are currently around 470,000 breeding pairs of pied wagtails in the UK and they are one of the few species whose numbers are actually increasing here. In the wild they have an average lifespan of 2 years but one bird was recorded at 11 years and three months of age.

Some of the images and footage used in this video were obtained using creative commons licences. The originals and their licence details can be found at:

[tonysutton]

I've just returned from a week doing jobs at our beach hut and the site is nearly empty. The pied wagtails, along with robins, have learnt that a car parked outside a hut means that there are people there and they hang about waiting for scraps. One would turn up at first light hoping for left over bits of a full English breakfast and toast crumbs. He would sit on the fence for most of the day if I gave him food. After a few days, the sparrows caught on and I even had a big crow looking for toast crusts.

[theotheseaeagle]

I love pied wagtails. I love watching them hop around wagging their tails

[RookAdmirer]

I affectionately call them the Lesser Pied Carpark Bird! Delighted to know it's a commonly observed trait of theirs to frequent carparks

[sapphirenatali]

Wagtails are my favorite birds, they are incredible, I have one at home. In 2019 he was 5 days old when he fell in our ventilation...

[NiSiochainGanSaoirse]

Over the last three years Ive made friends with several sets of local wagtails, having got through 41 years of life without ever noticing one before.

I find them to be delightful company, and I spend many an hour joyfully observing them go about their business.
I find most small birds to be fascinating, and love watching them in the wild, singing their songs and showing off their wings.

[RagtimeSnek]

I was chuffed to bits at getting up so close to one on Saturday while it was eating some seeds 🥹 it was so cute that I could have cried, I really love birdies a lot

[Paratus]

My favourite bird. Resilient. Friendly. Full of character.

[theotheseaeagle]

One thing I’ve noticed about them as well as grey wagtails is how bold they are. I’ve seen them get stalked by cats and other predators and they don’t even seem bothered. Often I have to open a window to get them to fly away before they get caught. Most other birds would fly away immediately at the sight of a predator, but wagtails seem to prefer not to

[christopherbutler]

Thanks for another great video Liam. Never heard the UK nicknames previously. Here in Ireland they are so often referred to as 'Willy Wagtails', so much so that some folk think that is their actual name .

[Hairnicks]

Some years ago I worked as a communications officer for the police at Launceston in Cornwall, our control room had a little square are outside it, surrounded on four sides with a huge shrub in the middle of it. Hundreds of pied wagtails would roost in it at nights and share the long night shift with us just beyond the glass. Amazing little birds, by day they would be in the police station car park.

[neilplatten]

I remember seeing hundred if not thousands of Penny Wagtails roosting in the trees outside the old Pilchard sports shop on Gentleman’s Walk in Norwich back in the 80’s also remember watching them on the school playground instead of looking at the blackboard lol another great film Liam :-)

[proteus]

Lovely little birds. I always watch them in car parks.

[Ihfmpw]

I’ve seen these often….in car parks, they’re unafraid of us humans till we get a little too near.I never knew they were Pied Wagtails.Thank you!

[anthonyalfredyorke]

Another great show Liam, these are my favourite little Bird, we have some in our garden. When I used to live in London there was a pair and that lived in Sainsbury's car park next to Greggs & they were. Certainly the plumpest pair I've ever seen . PEACE and LOVE to EVERYONE.

[peternicholls]

One of my favourite birds to watch...in the car park of course.. :)

[ruthlessb]

What a coincidence! Had one in the garden today which is quite a rarity. Love the videos

[misspurrr-fect]

Friendly & quirky little creatures ...❤

[kidowmer]

Thank you for sharing all about Pied Wagtails. I am amazed by the fact that they are do well adapted to urban settings. Also that they are lot less skittish than their white wagtail cousins!
We get to meet the latter during migratory seasons here, & the individuals I have met are usually very shy.
Thanks again for sharing! 😊

[SkylarkFields]

I've never seen pied wagtail chicks in the nest - they are extremely cute! Thanks for another informative video!

[pauldurkee]

There used to be very large roosts of this bird in the Hayes in central Cardiff. They used to cover the trees in winter, before the area was redeveloped.
Spotted a pair nesting in the builders supplies department of a branch of B&Q. 👍