African pied wagtail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids African pied wagtail |
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| M. a. vidua, Uganda | |
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The African pied wagtail, also known as the African wagtail, is a type of bird found in Africa. Its scientific name is Motacilla aguimp. It belongs to the Motacillidae family, which includes other wagtails and pipits.
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About the African Pied Wagtail
What Does It Look Like?
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This bird is easy to spot because of its clear black and white colors. Its upper body is black, and its belly is white. It has a white stripe above its eye, called a supercilium. There's also a white patch on its wing when it's folded.
Young African pied wagtails look a bit different. They are usually more grey than black. Some types of these birds have grey sides. These wagtails are about 20 centimeters (8 inches) long.
Where Does It Live?
The African pied wagtail lives in many parts of Africa. You can find it in areas south of the Sahara Desert. Its range goes from the Eastern Cape in South Africa all the way north to southern Egypt. It also lives from Guinea in the west to Eritrea and Somalia in the east.
Sometimes, these birds travel to places where they don't usually live. These places include Burkina Faso, Gambia, Mauritania, and the Western Cape in South Africa.
What Kind of Home Does It Like?
African pied wagtails prefer certain types of homes. They like grasslands that get wet or flooded during certain seasons. You can often find them near rivers and sometimes in freshwater marshes.
In some areas, these birds live close to people. They can be found in towns and villages, sharing space with humans. This is called being commensal.
How Does It Live?
Breeding and Nests
In places like Malawi, African pied wagtails start having babies before the rainy season. They continue to breed into the rainy season, usually for about six months. The busiest times for breeding are March and October.
Both the male and female birds help build the nest. However, only the female sits on the eggs to keep them warm. Once the chicks hatch, both parents work together to feed them. On average, a female lays about 3 to 4 eggs at a time.
African pied wagtails usually have one partner for life (they are monogamous). Their nest is shaped like a cup and is made of grass and feathers. They often build their nests near water, hidden in tangled branches. If they live near people, they might build their nests on buildings.
Sometimes, other birds lay their eggs in the wagtail's nest. This is called brood parasitism. For example, the red-chested cuckoo and the diderick cuckoo sometimes do this. Young wagtail chicks have also been eaten by larger birds like the Burchell's coucal.
What Does It Eat?
The African pied wagtail mainly eats insects. But they also enjoy other small creatures without backbones, like worms. They might also eat grass seeds, tiny fish, tadpoles, and even leftover food scraps from humans.
What's in a Name?
The scientific name for the African pied wagtail is Motacilla aguimp. The first part, Motacilla, is the name for most wagtail birds. It comes from a Latin word meaning "little mover," which makes sense because wagtails constantly move their tails.
The second part, aguimp, comes from the local name for the bird used by the Namaquois people. This name means "shore runner," describing how the bird moves along the edges of water.
Family Tree: How It's Related
The African pied wagtail looks very similar to a bird called the Mekong wagtail. Scientists have studied their genes and found that these two birds are very closely related. They are also related to other black-and-white wagtails, like the white wagtail and the white-browed wagtail.
There are two main types, or subspecies, of the African pied wagtail:
- M. a. aguimp: This type lives in parts of western South Africa, like the Northern Cape and Free State provinces. It's also found along the Gariep River in southern Lesotho and southern Namibia.
- M. a. vidua: This type lives in all the other areas where the African pied wagtail is found.
