Hello and welcome back to another instalment of VoiceforWildlife, where today we will be taking a look at a bird that will rarely be seen in small gardens but are still common if you find the right habitat - the Pied Wagtail.
Much like the feral pigeon, Pied Wagtails thrive in residential and inhabited areas, and can mainly be seen walking along concrete grounds or near water. Moreover farms are a popular habitat as they have a wide range of surfaces that their food sources thrive on and nest sights are easily found.
There nesting sights are unusual as they are situated in abandoned buildings, nests of larger birds and in walls which provides great shelter from predators. Moreover, if you see Pied Wagtails in your area or around your garden they often use open fronted nest boxes (these have a large square opening at the front - rather than the small circular holes that are used for regular boxes) so be sure to take advantage of the surrounding populations. Each nest will hold an average of five eggs, with breeding beginning in May. The eggs will then need to be incubated for around 12 days with fledging takes place on average 15 days later.
Wagtails tend to feed mainly in insects such as flys and caterpillars, and they will remember favourite hunting grounds. However more than one bird will use these grounds in highly occupied areas and the Pied wagtails call can be heard from the sky's as they check whether a fellow wagtail is feeding their. They have incredible thin, sharp beaks in which they use to probe crevices in concrete and rocky areas for any small insects.
Although these birds aren't in dangerous decline they are on a medium population alert due to their slow decline along british waterways, however this is not a likely cause for concern as numbers in inner urban areas have slowly risen. The RSPB has given figures that there are 470,000 pairs of Pied wagtails in the UK and the best place to see these birds are are in all habitats across the UK however in winter they will leave northern Scotland to escape the cold.
Pied Wagtails have a pure black cap that expands shortly down the back of the neck before dissolving into a frosty dull grey. This deep black also cascades from under the beak, providing a small collar before bieng engulfed by a sea of white that covers the breast and the eyes. They are slightly smaller than a blackbird, and larger than a great tit - often being seen as a blur disappearing under cars in car parks.
(No credit is taken for the photo)