Malaysian Birds

98 PASSERIFORMES: Motacillidae

Wagtail

Why does a wagtail wag its tail? There’s a few theories. It’s most likely something they do for social signalling, although some have suggested it could be a way of flushing out insect prey or even a way to signal alertness and vigilance to predators. Many may ot know that this tiny bird is associated with forklores - for examp,e - It’s a bird that has many names infolklore, including “willie wagtail” and “peggy dishwasher.” Their association with washing may be because they’re so often found around rivers and streams where people
There should be12 species of the bird together with the Forest Wagtail of Asia, wor;ld wide. Wagtails are strongly patterned birds wandering around beaches, meadows, and besides streams. They usually nest on the ground but roost in trees. The Forest Wagtail wags its entire body from side to side. Males of the white wagtail (Motacilla alba), common across Eurasia, are variably white and gray or white and black. The only species reaching the New World is the Yellow Wagtail

Eastern Grey Wagtail

The bird breed In the temperate regions of Europe and Asia including the Himalayas. Then it winters in South East Asia which includes Malaysia during the months from October to April. The birds prefers habitats with fast flowing stream, river or even wetlands

1 Eastern Grey Wagtails

2 Pied Fantail

3 Pied Fantail

Forest Wagtail

Forest Wagtail breeds in East Asia such as China, Korea and Japan. Then it winters mainly in two South East Asia countries Malaysia and Indonesia The birds prefers forested and wooded area i.e. more shaded area

1 Forest Wagtail

1 Spotted Fantail

3 Forest Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

For the Yellow Wagtails there many sub-species that bred across Eurasia. Some migrated to Malaysia . This bird prefers rice fields especially those near to coastal area This bird is seen much less often when compared to frequencies by the Grey and Forest Wagtails, Then the timing for the sightings is sporadic as well

1 Eastern Yellow Wagtail

2 Eastern Yellow Wagtail

White Wagtail

The White Wagtails breeds across Eurasia; the northern populations does winter in Southeast Asia.
However this species is rarely seen Malaysia, on those occasion that they showed up would be along the shorelines in Penang It is suspected these strays are vagrants rather than winters visitors.

1 White Wagtail

2 White Wagtail

Citrine Wagtail

The Citrine Wagtails breeds in Siberia/Central Asia.
Just like the White Wagtails, this species was hardly spotted. So far all the sightings recorded so far indicated that the bird prefers wetlands

1 Citrine Wagtail

98 PASSERIFORMES: Motacillidae

Pipits

There are about 50 species of small, slender-bodied ground birds known as pipits, belonging to the family Motacillidae. As members of the passerine order, they are classified as songbirds. Pipits are found almost worldwide, except in the polar regions.

These birds range in size from 12.5 to 23 cm in length. They have thin, pointed bills, sharp wings, and long hind toes with prominent claws. Agile and trim, pipits walk and run swiftly—but never hop. They forage for insects along the ground, and their flight pattern is a distinctive undulating motion, much like that of many finches.

The true pipits are classified under the genera Anthus and Tmetothylacus. They are named for their twittering calls and are typically brownish with streaked plumage. Pipits are closely related to wagtails (Motacilla), which are easily recognized by their constant tail-pumping behavior and more striking markings. Both pipits and wagtails share the feature of white outer tail feathers, most noticeable in flight.

One of the most diagnostic features for identifying a pipit is its foraging behavior. It frequently flicks or pumps its relatively long, white-edged tail up and down—a motion reminiscent of its wagtail relatives in the Motacillidae family. As Peter Slater aptly describes, “The pipit wags its tail up and down between spurts of running on the ground.” He further suggests that this behavior may serve as a strategy to flush out insect prey.

Pipits often perch on posts and can regularly be seen scurrying— never hopping — along roadsides.