Pied Wagtail

🔍 Overview

Common resident; passage migrant and winter visitor. A highly mobile black-and-white bird with a constantly bobbing tail, common across Sussex towns and countryside.

🪶 Key Identification Features

Size: Small (18 cm)

Plumage: Black back and bib, white face, grey wings

Tail: Long and always wagging

Flight: Quick and bounding

🗺️ Habitat & Distribution

Common in urban areas, car parks, farmyards, and riverbanks. Roosts communally in winter.

🎶 Voice & Behaviour

Sharp “chiswick” call in flight. Bold, often foraging on the ground.

🍴 Diet

Insects, especially flies and beetles.

📸 Birding Tip

Scan car parks in Shoreham, Worthing, or fields near water.