Citrine Wagtail

The citrine wagtail is a slender wagtail, 15.5–17cm long, with the long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. The breeding male is grey or black above with white on the wing feathers, and bright yellow on the underparts and the whole head except for a black nape. In winter the yellow below is diluted by white and the head is brownish with a yellowish eyebrow. Females look like washed-out winter males (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is an insectivorous bird of open country near water, such as wet meadows and bogs, and nests on the ground, laying four or five speckled eggs. It breeds in the central Palearctic and migrates to South Asia for the winter, often to highland areas, and its range is spreading westwards. Its taxonomy is debated because it belongs to a cryptic complex with the yellow wagtails. SoIB 2023 lists it as mainly a winter migrant in India, finds a current decline of about 3% a year, and rates it a Moderate conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).