WAGTAIL, ifotacilla, a genus of birds of the family motacillicice, which is now very generally regarded as a (motacillince) of sylciadm, distinguished by a length ened and slender bill, long and pointed wings, rather long and slightly curved claws, and a long narrow tail, which the bird incessantly wags up and down, with a jerking motion. The genus motacilla of Linnaeus included many of the eglviathe not belonging to this group, as the red-breast, nightingale, black-cap, and blue-bird. The genus motacilla, as now restricted, has a slender awl-shaped, straight bill; the nostrils oval. on the skies of the bill near the base, partly covered by a naked membrane; the wings of moderate size, the first quill-feather the longest, the second and third nearly as long as the first, the tertials very long; the tarsus much longer than the middle toe; the tail of twelve feathers, long, and nearly equal at the end.—The wagtails run with great celerity, and seek their food on the ground. Their food consists chiefly of insects and small seeds. They frequent the margins T of rivers and lakes, inundated fields, and other moist grouuds. " While the cows are feeding in moist low pastures," says White (Nat. Ills. of &Thorne); " broods of wagtails, white and gray, run round them, close up to their noses, and under their very bellies, availing themselves of the flies that settle oil their legs, and probably finding' worms and larva that are roused by the trampling of their feet. ' Wagtails make their nests on the ground, among moist herbage, or in stony places. Their flight is rapid and undulatory. They are natives of the temperate regions of the old world. No species is found in America.
A common British species is the PIED WAGTAIL (Jt. Yarrellii), which is from 7 to 8 in. in length, the long tail included, and has prettily varied white and black plumage.
It is abundant over the whole south of Europe, and is found there at all seasons of the year, which is the case also in the south of England; but in more northern regions it is only a summer visitant, as in the Orkney islands, where it is the first of the migatory birds to depart southward, the migration taking place almost as soon as the young are able for flight. The pied wagtail is incessantly in motion, jerking its tail, running quickly along the ground in quest of insects, and making short flights from place to place, chirping as it flies. It is often to be seen wading in shallow water, in pursuit of aquatic insects, and catching also small minnows when they approach the surface of the water. This species was long confounded with the WHITE WAGTAIL (M. alba), of the eontinent of Europe, common from Sweden to the Mediterranean, as also in many parts of Asia, and in elevated situations in India and the n. of Africa. but not a native Af Britain. The two species are, however, very similar.—The GRAY Witoermr, (if. boa rota) is bluish gray above, with rump and lower parts yellow; a black patch on the throat in summer. It is abundant on the continent of Europe, as well as in Britain, and is com monly seen on pastures, often in close attendance on cattle or sheep, whence the French name bergeronette, given to this and other species of wagtap of similar habits.—The YELLOW WAGTAIL (AL lava), and the GREEN-HEADED WAGTAIL (3f. Rayi), also British i species, of which the latter the more common, belonging to a sub-genus, by some regarded as a distinct genus, budytes, having the hind-claw very long and sharp,'and thus approaching in character to the pipits (q.v.) or titlarks.