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PLATE 110: YELLOW WAGTAILS
Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava PM, WV
L: 16.5. This species complex has many subspecies. In spring and summer the head colour of
males varies as shown below; hybrids occur, making some identifications uncertain. Females are
all similar: yellowish below with whitish throat, and most are unidentifiable to subspecies. Voice
Calls: flava high see-u; thunbergi slightly sharper; beema more buzzy; feldegg, see below. Habitat
Wet or dry grassland, open fields. Note Passage hatched for all subspecies; generally scarce in
region in winter. Seven subspecies have been identified in Oman, and these are described separately
below (roughly in order of abundance in Oman).
Sykes’s Wagtail M. f. beema Pale greyish crown and ear-coverts, long, broad white supercilium and
whitish chin. Some first-autumn birds lack yellow below (rear of underparts normally tinged yellow in
immatures of other subspecies), are greyish above (normally tinged olive-brown in other subspecies)
and show fairly prominent whitish wing-bars, thus resembling first-autumn Citrine Wagtail (call also
rather similar). Note Passage throughout; some winter in S Arabia (including Oman).
Black-headed Wagtail M. f. feldegg Male has head and nape glossy black, sharp demarcation to
dark mossy-green mantle, entire underparts bright yellow; duller in winter. Female superficially like
male, often almost monochrome, being dark-headed with greyish upperparts and only yellow-sullied
underparts. Voice Song loud, simple, sree-srriep, stress on second syllable. Call strong ringing
psreee-u. Note Abundant in Oman; has bred successfully. Includes ‘melanogrisea’ which resembles
feldegg but back is paler olive, underparts paler yellow, chin and sides of throat white. Breeds E Iran;
passage Arabia (including Oman).
Grey-headed Wagtail M. f. thunbergi Dark grey crown, with no sharp demarcation to upperparts
but contrasting with darker ear-coverts, usually no supercilium or white on chin and throat. Note
Widespread on passage, abundant Oman, UAE; some winter in Arabia.
Yellow-headed Wagtail M. f. lutea Whole head yellow, some with olive crown and ear-coverts,
upperparts yellow-olive. Note Passage in Near East and Arabia; scarce Oman, UAE.
Blue-headed Wagtail M. f. flava Blue-grey crown and ear-coverts; long white supercilium; sides
of throat sometimes white. Note Passage mainly in western Arabia; few winter; irregular Oman.
Ashy-headed Wagtail M. f. cinereocapilla Recalls thunbergi but throat whitish. Note Scarce on
passage in Near East; rare or vagrant Saudi Arabia and Oman.
White-headed Wagtail M. f. leucocephala White head, tinged blue or grey on rear-crown and
ear-coverts. Broad pale yellow wing-bars, moss-green mantle, tertials broadly edged pale yellow,
‘thighs’ white-feathered. Note Vagrant NE Iran, Kuwait, Oman, UAE.
Hybrids
‘superciliaris’ (feldegg x flava or beema) Dark slaty-blue head with clean white supercilium and
submoustachial, broad yellowish wing-bars. Note Passage Near East and Arabia.
‘dombrowskii’ (feldegg x flava or beema) Similar to flava, but with blackish ear-coverts. Note Scarce
on passage in Near East and Arabia.
‘xanthophrys’ (feldegg x lutea) Supercilium yellow, crown, lores and ear-coverts contrasting solidly
dark, underparts yellow (not illustrated). Note Rare on passage or winter in Near East and Gulf States.