Japanese Wagtail Motacilla grandis Scientific name definitions

21–23 cm. Male has forehead, supercilium, chin and very thin white crescent below eye white; rest of head , down to breast , and upperparts black; primaries mostly white, dull blackish distally, edged and tipped white, secondaries all white, median and greater wing-coverts mostly white (wing appearing mostly white both when closed and in flight); tail black, outer two rectrices white with black edging on inner webs; underparts below breast white, underwing-coverts white; iris dark brown; bill and legs blackish. Female is more greyish-black above, diffuse dark markings on remiges, dark tips of white primary coverts. Immature has head grey, tinged brown, supercilium off-white and often indistinct, upperparts pale grey, blackish uppertail-coverts.

Japan (Hokkaido to Kyushu, including Sado I and Oki Is) and S Korea (2 Chang-Yong Choi and Hyun-Young Nam (2008). Distribution of the Japanese Wagtail Motacilla grandis in Korea. Orn. Sci. 7: 85–91. Close ); non-breeding visitor to Izu Is and Ryukyu Is, occasionally E China and Taiwan.

Riparian habitats , dry riverbeds and rice fields, along large rivers with gravelly shores; also around open spaces in towns. More in coastal areas in winter. Sea-level to 1500 m. Overlap in habitat with M. alba (race lugens) in breeding season.

N populations (N Hokkaido) appear to move S & W in autumn; non-breeding visitor to Ryukyu Is, scarce but regular visitor to Korea Dec–Mar, and occasional winter visitor to Taiwan and coast of E China.

Arthropods. In urban areas, prey largely flies (Diptera), especially craneflies (Tipulidae), forming 88% of items fed to chicks; spiders (Araneae) made up much of remainder of food, although some mole-crickets (Gryllotalpa) taken and these were important by weight. Away from urban areas, along rivers, mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and stoneflies (Plecoptera) more important than dipterans in diet. Forages mainly by walking and picking prey from the ground.

Song  , by both sexes (male in most months, female mainly Feb), comprises basic notes and short phrases combining different notes, e.g. “ji”, “ju”, “joi”, “byu”, “bui”, “pouyu”, “fi”, “gi” and similar; simple song a repetition of same phrase, grading into more complex songs, continuing for 40–60 seconds without pause, e.g. as “tztzui tztzui tztzui pitzpitz tztzui pitzpitz-bitbitzeen bitbitzeen-bitbitzeen tztzui tzgichigi jijijiji”. Call in flight, on take-off or when landing, “bi” or “ji”; warning calls when predator near nest include “pitzuin” or “pisui” and longer rattling chatter.