Forest Wagtail

The forest wagtail is a slender, long-tailed wagtail about 18cm long and the only member of its genus. It is olive-brown on the back and crown, with black wings carrying two yellow wing bars and white tertial edges, a white eyebrow above a dark eye stripe, and white underparts crossed by a double black breast band, the upper band bib-like and the lower often broken. The sexes look alike. Unlike other wagtails it wags its tail from side to side rather than up and down, and it is the only wagtail that nests in trees (Wikipedia, general species account).

As its name suggests, it is a forest bird, using clearings in woodland when breeding and well-shaded forest, forest paths and coffee plantations in winter. It breeds in temperate east Asia and winters across tropical Asia from India to Indonesia. Its call is a single pink, often given on the ground or high in flight, and it has a soft, lilting song. In India it is a winter migrant with a moderate range. SoIB 2023 estimates a long-term decline of about 74% and a current fall of about 7% a year, and rates it a High conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).