Yellow Wagtail - Motacilla flava
This greeny yellow bird is unmistakeable, particularly as it wags its tail when on the ground.
It favours grassland fields, particularly where cattle are grazing.
Summer - April to September
It eats small insects which it chases down whilst running on the ground. It migrates to Africa for the winter.
Fairly common in much of England except the south west, less common in the rest of Britain.
It is fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland, with more being seen in spring and autumn when migration is underway.
Lorraine Ellison
Narrow Lane, Wymeswold
01 July 2007
Jane Hollingworth
meadow School Lane, Quorn
03 May 2017
egaten
Thurlaston-Croft
14 May 2019
egaten
Eyebrook Reservoir
17 May 2021
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020
UK Map
Species profile
- Common names
- Yellow Wagtail, Western Yellow Wagtail
- Species group:
- bird
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
- Order:
- Passeriformes
- Family:
- Motacillidae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 151
- First record:
- 20/04/1996 (Ian Retson)
- Last record:
- 16/04/2026 (Andrews, Mark)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
10km squares with records
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.
Latest images
Latest records
David Nicholls
Eyebrook Reservoir
28 April 2006
Lorraine Ellison
Narrow Lane, Wymeswold
31 May 2009
Yellow Wagtail, Narrow Lane, Wymeswold
BurbageNP
Burbage Footpath U73
14 June 2015
Pair feeding in arable crop field
