21 March 2016

Five Citrine Wagtails – Jubail

An early morning trip to Jubail was rewarded with the sighting of five different Citrine Wagtails in various different places. They varied in plumage from washed out to full adult males in breeding plumage but the bird I managed to photograph was somewhere in between. Citrine Wagtail is a regular though local winter visitor to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia that was not seen until 1975. I have seen quite a few in the last few years indicating the species is becoming more common in the region, particularly as they are not so difficult to identify in full breeding pluamge. They are almost always found near water and favour feeding on wet roadside puddles, but are not the easiest species to photograph as they are quite nervous and flighty and rarely stay still for long.
Citrine Wagtail