NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
White Wagtail
Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The white wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in the Palearctic zone in most of Europe and Asia and parts of North Africa; it also has a toehold in western Alaska as a scarce breeder. It is resident in the mildest parts of its range, but otherwise migrates to Africa. In total, there are between 9 and 11 subspecies of M. alba; in Ireland and Great Britain, the black-backed subspecies known as the pied wagtail (M. a. yarrellii) predominates.
The white wagtail is an insectivorous bird of open country, often near habitation and water. It prefers bare areas for feeding, where it can see and pursue its prey. In urban areas, it has adapted to foraging on paved areas such as car parks. It nests in crevices in stone walls and similar natural and human-made structures.
It is the national bird of Latvia and has featured on the stamps of several countries. It is listed as being 'of least concern' by IUCN.
Wikipedia contributors, White wagtail; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:31:11.925031+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- White Wagtail
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Motacillidae
- Genus
- Motacilla
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyMotacillidae Horsfield, 1821
- genusMotacilla Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesMotacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Motacilla. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| African Pied WagtailMotacilla aguimp Temminck, 1820 | MotacillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gray WagtailMotacilla cinerea Tunstall, 1771 | MotacillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava Linnaeus, 1758 | MotacillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Madagascar WagtailMotacilla flaviventris Hartlaub, 1860 | MotacillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Japanese WagtailMotacilla grandis Sharpe, 1885 | MotacillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Motacilla samveasnae J. W. Duckworth, Alstrom, P. Davidson, T. D. Evans, C. M. Poole, T. Setha & R. J. Timmins, 2001 | MotacillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cape WagtailMotacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766 | MotacillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Citrine WagtailMotacilla citreola Pallas, 1776 | MotacillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Grey-backed WagtailMotacilla clara Sharpe, 1908 | MotacillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Large Pied WagtailMotacilla maderaspatensis Gmelin, 1789 | MotacillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Alaska WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis Gmelin, 1789 | MotacillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Oceania
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=178476 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:44G99. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.