The white wagtail is a common insectivorous bird, which is quite easy to identify by its elegant appearance: a long, constantly swaying tail, black crown and neck, and a belly, forehead and cheeks are white. However, the color of this bird varies slightly depending on the habitat.
White wagtail breaks ice with its tail
In olden times, this bird was called the "pinhole" or "pliska". In early spring, when they saw a wagtail arrive, the old people used to say: “Sinochka flew ice on the river to break up.” Either as a joke, or they seriously believed that this bird, running on the ice, breaks it with its swaying tail. But whatever it was, shortly after the arrival of the messenger of spring, ice drift begins.
Where does the white wagtail love to live?
The favorite habitat of this bird is the shores of lakes, rivers and streams. The Germans, for example, call her for this "brook runner." For a wagtail, the main thing is that there should not be dense thickets on the shores of the selected reservoirs. Then you can move around the shallows without interference. And if there is also a human dwelling nearby, for our bird it is just a gift of fate. After all, a person who is not afraid of a wagtail will always find many secluded places where you can build a nest. By the way, in terms of the location of its nests, the white wagtail, the photo of which is posted here, has no equal. Its structures can be found in the mailbox, and in the woodpile of firewood, and in the hollow of a tree, and in an abandoned combine, and even in the chimney.
Wagtail nest
Due to the variety of places where the nest is built, the building material used for it is also diverse. Somewhere in the hole, on the ground, the nest is lined with thin blades of grass and leaves, and on the banks of the rivers, in masonry or pipe, it is made of disheveled stems and soaked leaves lined with woolen fibers. But in any case - this is a small bowl, insulated with animal hair and horse hair. There, the female will lay 6 small eggs, covered with pale spots. By the way, it is believed that if a wagtail has settled in your house, it will bring good luck.
How to feed a white wagtail
To get food for itself, the wagtail runs most of the time on the ground. She moves with mincing steps, like a balancer on a rope, balancing her tail and now and then lunging for a midge. But sometimes it can rise behind an insect and to a great height. This is probably why wagtons love flat paths, dense trampled soil or wet sand.
White wagtail - a bold bird
Wagtail has a cheerful restless character. The male with desperate courage protects the nesting place. In addition, upon seeing a predator, the birds gather in a flock and begin to chase it with loud cries, simultaneously warning everyone around them about the danger. And often this behavior of wagtails makes the predator give up hunting. And they show great attention and care to their chicks. So, it is known that the pair of wagtails that built a nest on the longboat did not leave the hatched chicks and continued to feed them during swimming.