Fishes - Home

The forest Wagtail (Motacilla indica), has short central tail feathers,
olive-brown upper plumage, and completely white underparts. There is a
black band across the breast. Judging from the number of examples of the
species observed in Maharashtra, it is likely that the bird is a rare visitor in
the State.
The two subspecies of Yellow Wagtails, (Motacilla flava thunbergi
and M. f. beema) are both migratory visitors to Maharashtra, the former,
Greyheaded yellow wagtail being fairly common. This bird has a darker
grey head and deeper yellow underparts than Blueheaded yellow wagtail
(M.f.beema), which has a blue grey head. Both are about6½inches long
and are found on beaches, marshes, lawns etc. There are records from all
over Maharashtra.
The two subspecies of the Yellowheaded Wagtail (Motacilla citreola
citreola and M. c. werae) differ from the Yellow Wagtails in having a
bright yellow head in breeding plumage. The birds are difficult to
distinguish in non-breeding plumage, as they resemble the Yellow
Wagtails in size (about 7 inches) and have all their habits.
The Grey Wagtail (Motacilla caspica) which is also 7 inches long,
differs from the yellow wagtails in having a white eyebrow and a greenish
yellow rump and uppertail coverts, along with a pair of white outer tail
feathers.
Two subspecies of White Wagtails (length 7 inches) are the Pied or
White Wagtail (Motacilla albadukhunensis) and the Masked Wagtail (M. a.
personata) both of which visit Maharashtra in winter. In the white wagtail
the front and sides of the head are white in the summer plumage, whereas
in the Masked Wagtail the sides of the head are mottled with black and
white. There are records of the species from Bombay, Salsette, Thana, and
Kolaba districts. While the masked wagtail is distributed throughout the
State, the white wagtail is common in the Deccan during the cold season.
The only resident wagtail in India, the Large Pied Wagtail (Motacilla
maderaspatensis) is the largest, with a total length of over 9 inches. The
FAUNA 585