#0608 · 🐦 birds
Western Yellow Wagtail
🇳🇱 Gele Kwikstaart ·Motacilla flava
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Erik Eckstein · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © Анна Голубева · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 3. © Fabrizio Gottardi · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. © saschaj · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. © Paul Cools · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. © Karim Haddad · CC BY 4.0
- 7. © Tatiana Bulyonkova · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 8. © Jörg Hempel · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 9. © Евгения Мусиенко · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 10. © Jörg Hempel · CC BY-SA 4.0
what is it?
The western yellow wagtail ( Motacilla flava ) is a small passerine in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 750 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 51,167 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Western Yellow Wagtail
- Nederlands
- Gele Kwikstaart
- scientific name
- Motacilla flava
- class
- Aves
- order
- Passeriformes
- family
- Motacillidae
- IUCN Red List
- LC · least concern
- sightings in NL
- 750
- sightings in Europe
- 33,863
- sightings worldwide
- 51,167
- GBIF records in NL
- 101,673
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.
relatives· Motacillidae
#0569 📷 9White Wagtail
🇳🇱 Witte kwikstaart
Motacilla alba
LC 👀 2k in NL
#0589 📷 9Meadow Pipit
🇳🇱 Graspieper
Anthus pratensis
LC 👀 1.1k in NL
#0626 📷 10Tree Pipit
🇳🇱 Boompieper
Anthus trivialis
LC 👀 463 in NL
#0693 📷 7Grey Wagtail
🇳🇱 Grote gele kwikstaart
Motacilla cinerea
LC 👀 170 in NL
#0696 📷 10Rock Pipit
🇳🇱 Oeverpieper
Anthus petrosus
LC 👀 164 in NL
#0743 📷 10Water Pipit
🇳🇱 Waterpieper
Anthus spinoletta
LC 👀 67 in NL
#0833 📷 10Richard's Pipit
🇳🇱 Grote Pieper
Anthus richardi
LC 👀 14 in NL
#0900 📷 10Olive-backed Pipit
🇳🇱 Siberische Boompieper
Anthus hodgsoni
LC 👀 5 in NL
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 204545, Wikidata Q25984, GBIF 9701857, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.