India has seven wagtails seen in the country and barring one all come to visit Indian Subcontinent in winters each year. Well - it is difficult to declare a bird more beautiful among others but then there are times when someone needs to be crowned.
Well again before I am bullied - the disclaimer from me - this choice is mine and mine alone and has no scientific basis. If you have a choice I will respect it - just let this be my choice. 😀
So here goes - the most beautiful wagtail in India is the Citrine Wagtail. A yellow cloak that can beat any ladies best of the dresses and of course a black so pure.
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| The beautiful Citrine Wagtail |
The problem with this bird is that out of the wagtails this one is seen only off and on fairly rarely, the White-browed Wagtail being most common and the Forest Wagtail most elusive. This one is just a notch above the Forest Wagtail in my sighting list. There are three Subspecies of this bird and the one pictures above is calcarata, signified visually by absolutely dark black upper body. The other two subspecies have greyish instead of dark black and small variation in wing patterns. The female is also as beautiful but has a somewhat greyish head and ear coverts.
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| The distribution of the species... |
The range as one can see from the map is really huge with birds coming to lower Iran, Afghanistan and India all the way to south China for wintering. There have been a record few records - far in between from Africa too.
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| Another male bird. |
So next time you see a wagtail - look carefully - you might sight the bird that I have voted as the most beautiful wagtail. Also please remember - next time you litter a river, stream or stop the flow of the water - you might be pushing this bird to the edge. Do follow the blog or Google Plus for more birding stories from India and around the world.
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