Grey wagtail / Gebirgsstelze (Motacilla cinerea)

Gebirgsstelze am Bach beim Klingnauer Stausee. 2022-02-05 14:16:30 Klingnauer Stausee (man-made lake)

Observations

First documented observation: 2022-02-05 in Klingnauer Stausee (man-made lake). Most recent observation: 2026-03-05 in Luppmen.

Description

Classification: Genus Motacilla (Motacilla); Family Motacillidae (Motacillidae)
General: Yellow breast and butt end, white belly, light grey head and back, white eye stripe and stripe above black beard, dark wings with 3 white V's, long tail.
General: Deutschland: Brut-, Jahres-, Zugvogel, Wintergast

Seasonal behavior

Year-round bird
Breeding: 03-23 - 08-29
Migration in: 02-20 - 04-01
Migration out: 08-18 - 10-27
More details at Vogelwarte.ch

Other Details

Physical details

Physical details: length=18-19 cm, wingspan=25-27 cm, weight=14-22 g
Habitats: Wetland

Vocalisation

Song: BirdID says Song simple but variable. I hear trills up to 2 seconds long and chirps. Another description says a series of calls, not very melodic. I noted zwitx3, sometimes hhhhhll. [Link]
Song: Song simple but variable. Sometimes with more elaborate song-flight like White Wagtail. [Link] Song attributes: Melody: stereotype melodic, fast, Frequency: high (3-9 KHz) Special sounds: trill
XC767550 - Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea - song with trills and a cheek-cheek. ♫ Source: XENOCANTO XC767550 - Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea - song with trills and a cheek-cheek.mp3 (song)


XC757193 - Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea - one-note song recorded in Germany. Germany ♫ Source: XENOCANTO XC757193 - Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea - one-note song recorded in Germany.mp3 (song)


Calls: Contact call short, metallic and with a clipped ending. Often disyllabic, "tzeet-tzeet", with each syllable more separated than in White Wagtail, and timbre more "dirty". Often starts with the contact call, followed by short melodic phrases. [Link] 1: Birdweather hat ein-Noter aufgenommen.
XC854585 - Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea - 2-note call.

XC854585 - Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea - 2-note call. ♫ Source: XENOCANTO XC854585 - Grey Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea - 2-note call.mp3 (call)


2: Ich habe zwei-noter lh lhhh notiert, wahrscheinlich von Birdweather?

3: No details but a Xeno-Canto recording. - but really OWN
Gebirgsstelze bei 5 minuten durch geflogen, evtl Flugruf.

Gebirgsstelze bei 5 minuten durch geflogen, evtl Flugruf. Greater Fehraltorf 2024-09-09 08:24:00 ♫ 2024-09-09 08:24:00 Greater Fehraltorf (flight call)
Gebirgsstelze bei letzen 30 Sekunden durch geflogen, evtl Flugruf.

Gebirgsstelze bei letzen 30 Sekunden durch geflogen, evtl Flugruf. Greater Fehraltorf 2024-09-09 08:24:00 ♫ 2024-09-09 08:24:00 Greater Fehraltorf (flight call)

Call attributes: Call melody: one note, slow, Frequency: medium (1-5 KHz),