Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Overview

Eastern Yellow Wagtail: Small wagtail (tschutschensis), olive-green upperparts, yellow underparts with brown spots on sides of breast. White throat with faint brown necklace. Gray head has black ear patches, white eyebrows. Dark wings with two white bars. Black tail with white edges.

Range and Habitat

Eastern Yellow Wagtail: Breeds in northern and western Alaska and Aleutians. Spends winters in Eurasia. Preferred habitats include wet meadows, riverbanks, and lakeshores.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Eastern Yellow Wagtail has been identified as the wild bird most likely to carry the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian flu from Asia to Alaska.
It overwinters in the epicenter of Asian H5N1 outbreaks in southeast Asia and Indonesia where it uses open areas with water, is often associated with agriculture and domestic animals, and congregates into flocks of thousands of birds at evening roosts.
They are thus likely to become infected with Asian H5N1 through direct contact with both wild and domestic birds in Asia and carry it to Alaska where an estimated 1,400,000 individuals of the species breeds.
A group of wagtails are collectively known as a "flock" of wagtails.