White-browed Wagtail

White-browed Wagtail
: Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Passeriformes : Motacillidae : Motacilla : madaraspatensis
Binomial name
Motacilla madaraspatensis Gmelin, 1789

The White-browed Wagtail (Motacilla madaraspatensis) is a medium-sized passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws. It is a resident breeder in India.

It is found in open freshwater wetland habitats. It builds its cup-shaped nest in a hole in a wall or bank and usually lays three to five eggs. Like other wagtails, this species is insectivorous.

The White-browed Wagtail is a large wagtail at 21cm. This is a slender bird, with the characteristic long, constantly wagging tail of its genus. It has black upperparts, head and breast, with a white supercilium and large white wingbar. The rest of the underparts are white. Juveniles are brown-grey where the adult is black.

Reference

• Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6