The white wagtail is a small but very slender bird. This graceful bird is distinguished by long thin legs and a very long erect tail: from the tip of the beak to the end of the tail it is about 200 mm, of which about half the length is in the tail. Weighs only 20-23g. It runs very deftly and quickly on the ground, the bird constantly shakes its tail, expressing its concern.

Description of Buturlin. This bird is one of the most common. It is found throughout Europe and Asia, with the exception of the Far North. Wintering grounds are in China (for Asian birds), Asia Minor and North Africa. In this huge area there is a fairly large number of geographical subspecies (more than ten), varying in shades of color, distribution of plumage colors and sizes.

The white wagtail arrives to us in the spring as one of the first among insectivorous birds. In many places, its arrival coincides with the opening of rivers, and this gave rise to the folk saying that “the wagtail breaks the ice on the river with its tail.” For the Moscow region, the average arrival date for a number of years is April 5.

This species almost always lives closely with humans and has undoubtedly already adapted to this. In the summer, a couple of white wagtails, or even two or three, nest on every mill, dam or under a bridge. They also settle at some distance from the river, in villages and not very crowded populated areas, making nests in haylofts, behind the lining of wall cornices, in hollows and similar secluded places. Very often they nest between firewood.

Wagtails usually have a clutch of 4-6 yellowish-gray eggs, only in the white wagtail the number of eggs ranges from 3 to 8 eggs.

Nests are built in different ways. The white wagtail builds its nest in human buildings on the ground, in hollows made of grass, wool and feathers. Mountain wagtail in rock cracks, under stones. The yellow wagtail and the yellow-headed wagtail make nests on the ground from parts of herbaceous plants, mosses, feathers, and hair.

All wagtails are migratory. Basically, all redstarts live alone, in pairs and in small groups.

As a result of many years of observations, Boris Nikolaevich Andreev wrote in his book “Birds of the Vilyui Basin” that “before the advent of Russian-style houses, white wagtails nested mainly in stall sheds, which were built by the Yakuts specifically for milking mares and keeping foals. Apparently because of this habit, the white wagtail is called the “horse bird” everywhere in Yakutia. (B.N. Andreev “Birds of the Vilyui Basin” p.231)

Ornithologist B.N. Andreev noted that the male wagtail sang for a long time and often, sitting on the upper branches of a larch tree near a cattle farm in the village of Nahara. Sometimes her song could be heard from across the river. Although her song consists of monotonous, rapidly repeating sounds: “tsit-tsit-tsit”, it is quite pleasant and sonorous. Her bird sings very energetically and often” (Andreev B.N. Birds of the Vilyui Basin. P.230)

I observed the white wagtail and wrote it down in my observation diary. Appearance of a white wagtail. The plumage is light, mainly gray and white tones. There is a large black spot on the neck and chest, and a black cap on the crown. The tail is black, but the outer tail feathers are white. The back is gray, the underparts are white. The male and female are similar in plumage. Young birds are dirty black on top with a blackish rump, and the throat, crop, front side of the chest and sides of the head are grayish-brown with an ocher coating

Distribution of the wagtail. Distributed throughout the country, except Sakhalin, the Caucasus mountains and the Arctic tundra. In Central Europe - from March to October-November. The species of wagtail we observed inhabits the entire territory of Yakutia. Common common type. We noted it on the outskirts of the village of Elgyay, Suntarsky ulus, in the area of ​​Dzhegalakh.

Wintering. Most birds winter in the Mediterranean. In recent years, it often remains to spend the winter and even nests in winter in large greenhouse farms in the Ciscaucasia.

Lifestyle. Breeding migratory bird. We found that it arrives at the end of May. About a month after arrival, the white wagtail begins building a nest. Departs in September.

Habitat. The white wagtail we observed chose the roof of our house for nesting. Our house is located near the forest. From the records of the young people of the Elgyai school, we learned that the white wagtail can build a nest in the same place for several years in a row.

“The nest of a white wagtail is a rather massive and durable structure, especially when it has been used for a number of years, repaired and a new layer is set up. In all likelihood, the old nests are used by the same pair. There is a known case when in the same corner of the attic in the village. Necked wagtails nested for 5 years" (Andreev B.N. Birds of the Vilyui Basin. P. 232)

Food. The wagtail's main diet consists of insects. According to our observation, they feed on flies, dragonflies, butterflies, beetles, and worms. The birds did not touch the grain or the crumbs of bread. For 12-13 days (depending on the weather), the female incubates, and the male diligently brings her food - various crawling and flying insects, which he catches nearby: on the roofs of buildings, along roads and vegetable gardens; It also flies to barnyards to catch flies. The chicks are also fed the same food. Parents bring food to the nest almost every minute and are very attached to their brood. The wagtail hunts on the ground, between the stems of herbaceous plants in the meadow; it pecks the invertebrates it comes across (spiders, caterpillars, beetles). When hunting in farmyards, it destroys many blood-sucking insects, which of course is beneficial.

Reproduction. I noticed that the male also takes part in the construction of the nest. The nest is built from last year's grass, horse hair and chicken feathers. The white wagtail begins laying eggs from the beginning of May. There were 6 eggs in the nest we observed. The dimensions of the eggs are about 21*15 mm, weight 2.2-2.8 g. The female incubates for 12 days. The chicks stay in the nest for about 12 days. After the chicks have fledged, the parents feed them for another 9-10 days.

Nest building material. I noticed that the shape, size and construction material of the nest varied. If the nest is located in a hole on the ground, then the hole is lined with old, half-decayed stems and narrow leaves of plants. The nest in brickwork or under a coastal cliff has thicker walls, loosely and carelessly woven from the same decayed or soaked stems and leaves of herbaceous plants, sometimes with an admixture of wood fibers fastened with woolen threads. The nest, made behind the siding of a house or in a hollow, is a pile of straw, feathers, wool and other materials. There is a tray on top of this pile. This nest resembles a sparrow's.

Shape and dimensions of the nest. But in any case, the white wagtail’s nest has the appearance of a shallow bowl, the walls of which, as a rule, are relatively carelessly and loosely made from the stems and leaves of plants. The bedding in the nest is also quite constant: it consists mainly of animal hair and horsehair. Socket diameter 100-140 mm, nest height 60-80 mm, tray diameter 50-80 mm, tray depth 20-50 mm.

Masonry features. A clutch of 5-6 white eggs covered with faintly visible light gray spots and dots. Egg dimensions: (18-21) x (13-15) mm.

Nesting dates. Arrives at the end of April. In May you can find nests with a full clutch of eggs. The flight of young birds occurs in late May - early June. Departure for the winter takes place at the end of September.

Building a nest. Nest construction is very easy to observe. You can see how both birds drag long straws and hay into some crevice or hayloft and pick up rags, scraps of paper and cattle hair from the yards for the inner lining of the nest.

Bird behavior. Wagtails bravely defend the nest from cats and other enemies, rushing at them without any caution. However, wagtails show the same courage in relation to birds of prey - hawks and kites, chasing them in a whole flock in the air; They also zealously attack cuckoos.

Observations of chicks. The chicks left the nest twelve to fourteen days after hatching, but during the first days they still cannot fly. Their tails are still very short, but despite this, they already sway up and down, like those of adult birds. Ten to fifteen days after departure, they already catch prey on their own and separate from their parents.

I read a lot of interesting things about the life of the wagtail, learned where and how they live, and learned to distinguish the wagtail from other birds. I realized that birds are our friends, they need to be protected and loved. Wagtails are of great benefit by destroying harmful insects.

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