(motacilla alba)
In Scotland and the rest of the UK the Pied Wagtail is a common breeding bird. Our Pied Wagtail is in fact a particular subspecies of the White Wagtail, namely motacilla alba yarelli. It is found throughout Scotland except on the higher mountainous areas and wilder parts of the outer and northern isles. It is a partial winter migrant with about 80% of the population heading south for the winter. The over-wintering remainder can sometimes be found in large roosts in urban locations drawn there by warmth from buildings. I used to work at a computer centre near Dalkeith in Lothian and would often seen up to 200 birds gathering at dusk on a winter afternoon about to spend the night on the roof of the building.

In Scotland the nominate species of White Wagtail motacilla alba alba is a passage migrant in spring and autumn. It is thought that the entire Icelandic population of White Wagtail passes through Scotland (particularly western Scotland) on route to and from their Iceland breeding grounds and their wintering areas in Africa. Ringing recoveries support this theory. The number of birds heading south in autumn could be up to 600,000 individuals. However much of this movement goes unnoticed due to the difficulty of easily identifying White Wagtails compared to Pied Wagtails. In August and September many birds casually dismissed as Pied Wagtails could well be White Wagtails.