A - Z Garden Bird Identification Index
Motacilla flava
Bright and restless, Yellow Wagtails bring a flash of sunshine as they arrive in the UK each spring after a long migration from Africa. Most often seen darting along riversides, meadows, and farmland, their wagging tails and cheery calls signal warmer days. Occasionally, these lively travellers pause in gardens, offering a fleeting glimpse of summer on the wing.
Identification
Length: 15–16 cm.
What does a Yellow Wagtail look like?
Slender, with a long tail and fine bill. Males are strikingly yellow below with greenish-brown upperparts. The head pattern varies depending on the subspecies, but in the UK the male often shows a greenish crown and nape with a yellow face. Females and juveniles are paler, with more olive-brown tones and less vivid yellow underparts.
Yellow Wagtail call/song – What does a Yellow Wagtail sound like?
Their call is a sharp, cheerful “tsweep” often given in flight. The song is a short, twittering series of notes, less musical than the Grey or Pied Wagtail.
How long do Yellow Wagtails live for?
Typically around 2–3 years in the wild, though some individuals can live much longer if conditions are good.
Habitat & Nesting
Where do Yellow Wagtails live?
Yellow Wagtails favour wet meadows, marshes, damp grasslands, and farmland with grazing animals. They often follow livestock, catching insects disturbed by hooves. Though mainly countryside birds, occasional sightings occur in gardens, especially in spring and autumn migration.
Where do Yellow Wagtails nest?
Nests are usually placed on the ground, well hidden among grass tussocks or crops.
Yellow Wagtail nesting habits
Breeding begins in May. The female builds the nest from grass, moss, and rootlets, lining it with hair or feathers. She lays 4–6 speckled eggs. Incubation lasts around 12 days, mainly by the female. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge after about 12 days.
Where do Yellow Wagtails sleep?
They roost on the ground in dense vegetation, often communally in reedbeds or long grass during the non-breeding season.
Where do Yellow Wagtails go in the winter?
These are true migrants. All Yellow Wagtails leave the UK in autumn, flying south to spend the winter in sub-Saharan Africa.
Diet & Feeding
What does a Yellow Wagtail eat in the wild?
They mainly feed on insects and small invertebrates, often foraging in damp grassland or following cattle and horses to snatch disturbed flies and beetles.
What should you feed Yellow Wagtails in the garden?
Although rare garden visitors, you can tempt them if they pass through by offering:
- Live mealworms
- Dried mealworms
- Suet products
Where should you feed Yellow Wagtails?
- Feeder: Not suitable
- Table: Sheltered bird table with insects/suet
- Ground: Scatter mealworms or suet close to cover
How to attract Yellow Wagtails to your garden?
Because they are migratory and strongly tied to farmland habitats, you can’t reliably attract them. However, wildlife-friendly gardening with a pond, long grass, and insect-rich spaces can increase your chances of a lucky visit in spring or autumn.
The Yellow Wagtail’s Migration Story
Every spring, Yellow Wagtails arrive in the UK after an astonishing journey from Africa. Tiny and delicate though they appear, these birds travel thousands of miles across deserts and seas to reach our meadows. Their presence is fleeting and by late summer they’re already heading south again. To spot one in your garden during migration is like catching a glimpse of summer sunshine on the move.
Explore more in our A - Z Bird Identification Guide for tips on recognising garden visitors and the occasional surprise migrant.
