White Wagtail is a common insectivorea bird that is fairly easy to identify by its elegant appearance: a long, constantly swaying tail, black crown and neck, and the belly, forehead and cheeks are white. However, the color of this bird varies slightly depending on the habitat.
White Wagtail Breaks the Tail of Ice
In the old days this bird was called "sinochka" or"Plish". Early in the spring, seeing the wagtail arriving, the old people used to say: "Sinochka flew ice on the river to break it." They either joking, or seriously believed that this bird, running on the ice, breaks it with his swaying tail. But no matter how it was, soon after the arrival of the messenger of spring, the ice drift begins.
Where the White Wagtail Loves to Live
The favorite habitats of this bird are the shoreslakes, rivers and streams. The Germans, for example, call it "a stream runner" for this. For the wagtail, the main thing is that on the shores of the selected reservoirs there should not be thick thickets. Then you can move without interference in the shallows. And if there is also a human dwelling nearby, then for our bird - it's just a gift of fate. After all, a man who does not fear the wagtail at all, there are always many secluded places where you can build a nest. By the way, according to the variants of the location of its nests, a white wagtail, the photo of which is placed here, is unrivaled. Its structures can be found in the mailbox, in the logs of firewood, in the hollow of a tree, in an abandoned harvester, and even in a chimney.
Wagtail nest
Due to the variety of places where the nest is built,the building material used for it is also varied. Somewhere in the pit, on the ground, the nest is lined with thin grass and leaves, and on the banks of rivers, in brickwork or a pipe - it is made of disheveled stems and razmochalennyh leaves lined with woolen fibers. But in any case - it's a small bowl, insulated with animal hair and horsehair. There the female will lay 6 small eggs covered with pale spots. By the way, it is considered that if a wagtail settles in your house, it will bring good luck.
How to feed a white wagtail
To get yourself some food, a wagtailmost of the time running around the ground. She moves with flailing steps, like a balancing actor on a rope, balancing her tail and now and then making attacks behind the midge. But sometimes it can rise behind an insect and on a high altitude. Probably, that's why Wagtails are so fond of smooth tracks, dense trampled soil or wet sand.
White Wagtail - Bold Bird
Wagtail has a cheerful restlesscharacter. The male with desperate courage protects the nesting place. In addition, having seen the predator, the birds gather in a flock and with loud cries begin to pursue it, simultaneously warning everyone around about the danger. And often this behavior of the wagtail makes the predator refuse to hunt. And to their chicks they show great attention and care. So, it is known that a pair of wagtails that built a nest on the boat did not leave the hatched chicks and continued to feed them during the voyage.
