Pied Wagtail On A Stone Wall Near Wardlow

The pied wagtail has to be one of the happiest looking birds in the Peak District. With its long tail constantly wagging up and down, it seems to be either waving hello or goodbye depending on the direction it is going! It is often mistaken for a baby magpie but it is much smaller than one, in fact only a little bigger than a great tit. Like a spaniel, its most distinguishing feature is its wagging tail and it never seems to stop.

Pied Wagtail On Barbed Wire Near Great Hucklow

It is a sprightly black-and-white little bird and when it isn’t standing and frantically wagging its tail up and down it can usually be seen dashing about over lawns or car parks in search of food. They are very petite birds with sharp pointed beaks ideal for jabbing at insects. It doesn’t seem to be shy of humans and can often be seen in urban housing estates throughout the Peak District, but it is usually on its own whilst hunting for food in daylight hours.

It is at night, when others gather together at dusk, when a real spectacle to behold occurs, if you are lucky enough to see a roost of pied wagtails altogether. They often meet up in large gangs on roofs to form large roosts in city centres. They choose city centres rather than the open countryside because it can be five or six degrees warmer here, which can literally mean the difference between life and death for such a tiny bird. The heat generated from city buildings also means that insects are in abundance at this time of night.

Wagtail On Farm Gate Near Great Longstone

Pied Wagtails gather in their hundreds, with flocks settling in industrial estates, sewage works, over hospitals and supermarkets, anywhere where they can pick up scraps of food. Urban wildlife sites are a lifeline for these lovely little birds. It can be found across most of the UK as well as up here in abundance in Derbyshire, except for some of the Highland Northern areas of Scotland in winter. It is usually found near water and can be found in almost any habitat, including town centres.

They like to eat insects and aren’t averse to a worm or two. They feed predominantly whilst searching lawns, fields and verges and the insects are typically flies and caterpillars. In areas where height wagtails are common, you can often hear them calling as they fly over favourite hunting grounds to check if there is already another pied wagtail feeding there.

Wagtail On Post Near Foolow

It has a very undulating flight and it frequently calls whilst flying. Its twittering song can be heard from a perch or in the air but whilst in-flight, the pied wagtail makes a high-pitched ‘Chissick’ sound. They build their nests in holes in walls, buildings or use old nests of larger birds. Grass and mosses are used to construct the small cup shaped nest and they will often use open fronted nest boxes. The eggs are pale grey with dark grey spots and smooth and glossy. They are quite tiny and only about 20 mm x 50 mm.

The male and female take turns to look after the eggs and both adults feed the young. Breeding normally starts in May and they can have any number of clutches, but usually between one-two. They usually have between three and seven eggs which take 12 to 14 incubation days, and between 13 and 16 days to fledge.

The distinction between the plumage of the male and female at different times of the year is quite complicated – so here goes. The male’s summer plumage has a white forehead, cheeks and belly with a jet black crown, nape, throat, breast, backs, flanks, tail and wings – have you got that? Its tail has white outer feathers in the wings have white wing bars and white edges. In winter, if the male is a non breeding bird, its plumage is much greyer, less black on the breast and the flank is grey. As with a lot of bird species, the female is a little taller, with mostly dark grey feathers except for her crown, throat, breast, rump entail which are black.

Sunset Near Eyam With Pied Wagtail On Post

Baby wagtails are brownish grey and are often tinged with yellow, commonly mistaken for its cousin the yellow wagtail. The white wagtail is more common in Europe and we do have these also in the Peak District. This wagtail has a grey rump, back in wings and usually migrants in spring and autumn.

Pied wagtails usually leave us in winter to go across the channel to warmer parts of your Europe and who can blame them really? They are sprightly and skittish and are constantly in motion. With its jerky walk to its constantly wagging tail, they are stunning little birds and we are very pleased they choose to live amongst the gorgeous scenery of the Peak District.