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Citrine Wagtail

Motacilla citreola

Least Concern (IUCN Red List)Wagtails and Pipits
Citrine Wagtail, photographed by Olga Bogatova

Photo: Olga Bogatova · iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC 4.0 (licence)

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Call and song

About the Citrine Wagtail

Widespread and fairly common over much of Asia; rare to western Europe. Breeding males spectacular and unmistakable: bright yellow head and body contrasts with black collar and gray (most of range) or black (central and southern Asia) back. Females and non breeding males less conspicuous, dull yellow with dark cheek patch isolated in yellow face and a gray crown and back. Juveniles have same cheek pattern but are dingy grayish overall without yellow tones (or just faint yellow face). White wingbars conspicuous in all plumages; also note pale lores. More tied to water than Eastern Yellow, Western Yellow, or White Wagtail; usually seen at marshes and lake edges. Contact call "tsriip," harsher than Eastern and Western Yellow Wagtail.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 95 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

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