Western Yellow Wagtail

The western yellow wagtail is a slender wagtail, 15 to 16 cm long, with the long, constantly wagging tail typical of its genus; it is the shortest-tailed of the European wagtails. It breeds across much of temperate Europe and Asia, and most populations are migratory, moving south to tropical Africa and southern Asia for the winter. The breeding male is olive above and yellow below, and the head colour and pattern vary by subspecies (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is insectivorous, lives in open country near water, such as wet meadows, and nests in tussocks, laying four to eight speckled eggs. The call is a high-pitched jeet. Its systematics are confusing, with dozens of subspecies described.