Japanese Wagtail (Motacilla grandis)
About the Japanese Wagtail
The Japanese wagtail (Motacilla grandis) is a species of bird in the pipit and wagtail family Motacillidae. It is native to Japan and Korea. The Japanese wagtail is about 20 cm long. The sexes look similar; they have white underparts and black upperparts, throats, and backs. Their supercilia are also white. They have black beaks and dark grey legs and feet. The plumage of a juvenile is greyer than that of an adult. The bird's Latin species name, grandis, means large. The Japanese wagtail is classed as a species of least concern by the IUCN. It has a stable population. The Japanese wagtail eats insects. Large groups of Japanese wagtails roost together in trees. Nests are built in cavities near water. The parents both look after the eggs and chicks. Four to six eggs are laid in each clutch.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 16 recordings for this species: 2 CC BY-NC-SA. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in China, Japan, South Korea in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- African Pied WagtailMotacilla aguimprecording
- Citrine WagtailMotacilla citreolarecording
- Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensisrecording
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerearecording
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flavarecording
- White WagtailMotacilla albarecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.