BetterBirding
Bird guideEastern Yellow Wagtail

Attractive ground-dwelling bird.

Spot this speciesRead on Wikipedia
⚠️Not listed
🍃Indigenous: Yellow Wagtail

At a glance

FamilyWagtails and Pipits
SizeSmall
RarityUncommon
HabitatCommon breeder on Arctic tundra from Alaska to Russia; found in grassy and waterside habitats in Southeast Asian wintering grounds and in migration.
Best timeMost reliable in Queensland from November to January.

Sounds

Sound sample
0:000:00
Recorded by Lim Ying Hien 林勇贤

Range map

Range map

142visible hotspots
2615visible records
6states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.

Species notes

Overview

Slender and long-tailed, bright yellow below with paler throat and grayish-olive back; extremely variable. Tail is black with white outer feathers; often pumps tail up and down while walking on the ground. Young birds lack yellow color, but have distinctive head pattern. Often seen near water. Common breeder on Arctic tundra from Alaska to Russia; found in grassy and waterside habitats in Southeast Asian wintering grounds and in migration.

Behavior

Listen for high-pitched, piercing call note.

Gallery

Regional timing

Queensland
Peak: November to January866 records
Northern Territory
Peak: October to November788 records
Victoria
Peak: December197 records
Western Australia
Peak: October to December157 records
New South Wales
Peak: January to March445 records
Tasmania
Peak: July18 records
South Australia
Peak: May129 records

Commonly confused with

Gray WagtailMotacilla cinereaHandsome long-tailed bird. Breeding male has a black throat, mostly yellow underparts. Breeding female often has some dark on the throat, paler yellow underparts. Walks quietly along shorelines or in nearby open areas, pumping its very long, white-sided tail up and down.→White WagtailMotacilla albaShows considerable variation in plumage across the world, but never has a clear, thin and contrasting eye-brow like White-browed or Japanese Wagtail. Usually seen as singles, pairs, or small groups walking and running around, pumping the long, white-sided tail up and down.→Australian PipitAnthus australisTail fairly long, showing obvious white edges in flight. Typically found walking around on the ground or perched on fence-posts. Tail moves up and down as it walks with bobbing gait. Long pinkish legs with long claw on hindtoe. In similar habitat, Horsfield's Bushlark is a more rotund, rusty-colored bird with heavier bill; Eurasian Skylark has shorter bill and short crest; and Rufous Songlark lacks white in the tail.→
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