Yellow Wagtail Head Confusion

[Wild-Woman]

Ok.This is a completely rubbish picture, taken last year at Elmley at some considerable distance and cropped to death.
My question is about the head.In my book (Collins Bird Guide), the 'race' associated with Britain is 'flassima'. Do you think this one looks a bit like the Siberian race-lutea? All help appreciated thank you.

Jules

[aeshna5]

Hi Jules- my immediate reaction is a bright male "flavissima". I've seen many races of this species in Europe, Asia + Africa, but the intergrades can be confusing. I've not real experience with "lutea" + looking at Collins Bird Guide I can see why you think it could be this.

I've just picked up from my bookshelves the Helm guide to Pipits + Wagtails where there is in depth treatment of these birds. It states that due to pronounced individual variation flassima/lutea are in practice inseparable to race in the field.

On balance it's most likely to be a particularly bright yellow-headed flavissima on range, than an extralimital lutea, but maybe? The English name given for lutea is Yellow-headed Yellow Wagtail.

[John]

Hi Jules

I can fully understand where you are coming from with this photo. I too would have probably be caught out even now faced with a bird like this but, like aeshna5 I would tend to go for a brightly coloured Flavissima.

Many years ago I got caught out with a similar bird at Graffham Water, Cambs, even more yellow than this one. I called it through to Rare Bird Alert, (not to put it out on the pager but to get a local expert along). When he arrived we soon located it and he had to watch it, and study it, for a very long time before coming down on the side of a very bright Flavissima.

It makes you wonder though if we are overlooking the Lutea species of Yellow Wagtail in a lot of cases because of the fact that it is hard to seperate them in the field.

John

[Wild-Woman]

Thanks for that Aeshna 5 and John. Some of the differences are so difficult to define and when you haven't got an expert in the field with you to point them out, at the time, you start mulling them over as possibilities.Thanks for making it clearer for me to see.

Jules