Cape Wagtail
Motacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766
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 Cape wagtail (Motacilla capensis), also known as Wells's wagtail, is a small insectivorous bird which is widespread in southern Africa. It frequents water's edge, lawns and gardens. It is a mostly resident, territorial species, but has been known to undertake limited altitudinal migration or form flocks outside of the breeding season. Like other wagtails they are passerine birds of the family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws.
Wikipedia contributors, Cape wagtail; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:20:46.673923+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Motacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1766
- Common name
- Cape 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 capensis Linnaeus, 1766
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 |
| White WagtailMotacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 | 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 |
| 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 |
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=561227 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:6S388. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.