Forest Wagtail

Forest Wagtail

Scientific Name: Dendronanthus indicus

Malay Name: Pipit-Rimba

Chinese Name: 山鹡鸰

Range: Breeds in eastern and northeastern China; winters to India and southeast Asia.

Taxonomy: Monotypic.

Size: 17-18 cm

Identification: A highly distinctive wagtail, unlikely to be confused with other species. Note its black triangular patch on upper breast (forming a "bib"), and crescent-shaped greyish-black markings on outer breast. Upperparts are olive-green with two broad whitish-yellow wing-bars.

Habitat: Forests, parkland, and mangroves.

Behaviour/Ecology: Join large roosts with other wagtails – this has traditionally been observed at Yishun along with large numbers of Grey Wagtails.

Local Status: Uncommon migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Location: Any location with suitable habitat, such as Central Catchment Nature Reserve, as well as in various wooded parks across Singapore on passage.

Featured articles:

Featured reports: Apr 2022, Sep 2022, Oct 2022, Nov 2022, Dec 2022, Jan 2023, Feb 2023, Mar 2023, Sep 2023, Oct 2023, Nov 2023, Mar 2024, Aug 2024, Sep 2024, Oct 2024

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus
Estimated average number of individuals by week based on eBird data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024
Peak week Sep 24-Sep 30
Early date 13 Aug 2005
Late date 30 Apr 1988
Peak passage of this species is from Sep-Oct, but wintering birds may be seen throughout the season especially at mixed-species wagtail roosts.
Forest Wagtail. Photo Credit: Zahidi Hamid
Forest Wagtail at Bidadari. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Forest Wagtail at Bidadari. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Forest Wagtail)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Dendronanthus indicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22718345A94576548.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Tyler, S. (2020). Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus), version 1.0. In del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D. A., & de Juana, E. (Eds.), Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.forwag1.01

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Forest Wagtail. Retrieved on December 16, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/forest-wagtail.

To top