Grey Wagtail: a Declining Bird of Britain and Ireland

The Grey Wagtail, Motacilla cinerea, is a colourful, slender bird with grey and yellow plumage which is easily distinguished from its cousin, the Pied Wagtail.

The breeding habitat of Grey Wagtails is along fast-flowing rivers and streams. They move from higher ground in the autumn and winter to areas such as farmland and gardens in towns in the lowlands of England.

Ornithologists are concerned about the decline of Grey Wagtails in Britain and Ireland. The number of Grey Wagtails fell over a third in Britain over the last thirty years.

Grey Wagtails are "river specialists" who breed along clear, fast-flowing rocky rivers and streams on higher ground during the summer. They are also a common bird around weirs and locks in canals.

The autumn and winter is the time of year when Grey Wagtails move to lower ground. They spend the winter around sewerage works, slurry pits, wet ditches, flooded stubble fields on farmland, coastal marshes, the edges of lakes, small streams, canals, parks, gardens in towns and cities.

Grey Wagtails are common and widespread resident birds in Britain and Ireland. They are more plentiful in northern and western Britain in the summer. Fewer Grey Wagtails are found in central and eastern England during the breeding season.

The range of Grey Wagtails has expanded over the last 150 years in Britain. Grey Wagtails were once restricted to fast-flowing rivers on higher ground. They were able to move to the lowlands of England because of the improved quality of water in rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs.

Territories on higher ground are deserted between October and March. A few pairs stay on their breeding territories for the winter while others fly further to lowland areas.

Most Scottish Grey Wagtails move to the lowlands of England in the autumn. Wintering birds tend to return to the same site yearly and some defend a winter territory.

Grey Wagtails are attracted to small areas of water in the winter in a wide variety of habitat. They live around ponds in gardens in towns, puddles on farmyards, wet ditches on farmland, sewerage works and pools in roof-top gardens of buildings in cities.

The natural surroundings of shores of lakes, the banks of small lowland rivers and streams and locks in canals are also favoured by Grey Wagtails in the winter.

The Grey Wagtail is classified as of Least Concern by IUCN.

The population of Grey Wagtails in not Vulnerable due to the wide range of these birds (Europe, Asia, North Africa). The global trend is described as stable.

Europe holds 20% of the global population and the trend is described as stable between 1980 and 2013.

The population of Grey Wagtails in Britain reached a "high point" in 1974. Their numbers began to decline between the late 1970s and early 1980s. There was "some increases" during the 1990s and then there was a "steep drop" in 2010.

The British Trust for Ornithology reported the recent steep decline began in 2002, particularly in Scotland.

"The trends for Grey Wagtail are very similar to those for Pied Wagtail, suggesting that similar factors may be affecting these two species".

The charity said the Grey Wagtail population in Europe remained "broadly stable since the 1980s" (BTO - trends).

The Grey Wagtail is a red-listed species of bird in Britain. Grey Wagtails were moved from the green list to the amber list in 2002 and then, sadly, to the red list in 2015.

- declined by 31% between 1995 and 2011 (RSPB)
- increased by 1% between 2012/13 (BBS - page 17)
- increased by 50% between 2013/14 (BBS - page 13)
- declined by 13% between 2014/15 (BBS - page 13)
- declined by 4% between 2015/16 (BBS - page 15)
- increased by 29% between 2016/17 (BBS - page 15)
- declined by 25% between 2017/18 (BBS - page 15)

The British Trust for Ornithology said Grey Wagtails showed a long-term decline of 32% between 1995 and 2015. Grey Wagtails and Pied Wagtails both showed "a rapid decline...along rivers and canals" ( BTO - Wagtails).

The exact reason for drop in their numbers is unknown. The fluctuations in the Grey Wagtail population suggests prolonged cold winter weather may be responsible for the decline.

Grey Wagtails are among the wildlife in Britain and Ireland which depend on rivers and streams for their food. Pollution by chemicals and plastic in more recent times is of concern to conservationists.

Greenpeace found "high concentrations of plastics", including microplastics in a survey of 13 British rivers in June 2019. Plastic straws, bottletops and microbeads were found in the rivers Exe, Thames, Severn, Great Ouse, Trent, Mersey, Aire, Derwent, Wear, Conwy, Wye, Clyde, and Lagan.

"During this campaign we witnessed voles eating plastic, swans using it to build their nests, and caddisfly larvae using it to make their protective casings” (Independent).

The Grey Wagtail is a red-listed species of bird in the Republic of Ireland.

Birdwatch reported a large decline in the population of Grey Wagtails between 1998 and 2010 in Ireland (Birdwatch - page 6 and 7).

The cold winter of 2009/10 is thought be the main reason for the decline in Ireland. The population was also reported as declining in Ireland in 2013 (Southern Star).