White wagtail

The white wagtail, Motacilla alba, is a small passerine of the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws, breeding throughout the Palearctic across most of Europe and Asia and in parts of North Africa and western Alaska. It measures 16.5 to 19 centimeters long, with East Asian subspecies reaching up to 21 centimeters, weighs about 25 grams, and shows the long, constantly wagging tail characteristic of its genus; maximum recorded lifespan in the wild is about 12 years. The species is resident in milder regions but migratory elsewhere, wintering in Africa, the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia, and is insectivorous, favoring open country near water and human habitation, including foraging in urban car parks and nesting in crevices of stone walls and buildings. Between 9 and 11 subspecies are recognized, including the black-backed pied wagtail predominant in Ireland and Great Britain; the species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a population estimated between 130 and 230 million, and is the national bird of Latvia.