Motacillidae

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Motacillidae
White-browed Wagtail I MG 9376.jpg
White-browed wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Superfamily: Passeroidea
Family: Motacillidae
Horsfield, 1821
Genera

The wagtails, longclaws, and pipits are a family, Motacillidae, of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. Around 70 species occur in five genera. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominantly found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, with two species migrating and breeding in Alaska. The pipits have the most cosmopolitan distribution, being found mostly in the Old World, but occurring also in the Americas and oceanic islands such as New Zealand and the Falklands. Two African species, the yellow-breasted pipit and Sharpe's longclaw, are sometimes placed in a separate seventh genus, Hemimacronyx , which is closely related to the longclaws. [1]

Contents

Most motacillids are ground-feeding insectivores [2] of slightly open country. They occupy almost all available habitats, from the shore to high mountains. Wagtails prefer wetter habitats than the pipits. A few species use forests, including the forest wagtail, and other species use forested mountain streams, such as the grey wagtail or the mountain wagtail.

Motacillids take a wide range of invertebrate prey: insects are the most commonly taken, but also including spiders, worms, and small aquatic molluscs and arthropods. All species seem to be fairly catholic in their diets, and the most commonly taken prey for any particular species or population usually reflects local availability.

With the exception of the forest wagtail, they nest on the ground, [2] laying up to six speckled eggs.

Description

Wagtails, pipits, and longclaws are slender, small to medium-sized passerines, ranging from 14 to 17 cm (5.5 to 6.7 in) in length, with short necks and long tails. [2] They have long, pale legs with long toes and claws, particularly the hind toe, which can be up to 4 cm in length in some longclaws. No sexual dimorphism in size is seen. Overall, the robust longclaws are larger than the pipits and wagtails. Longclaws can weigh as much as 64 g, as in Fülleborn's longclaw, whereas the weight range for pipits and wagtails is 15–31 g, with the smallest species being perhaps the yellowish pipit. [3] The plumage of most pipits is dull brown and reminiscent of the larks, although some species have brighter plumages, particularly the golden pipit of north-east Africa. The adult male longclaws have brightly coloured undersides. The wagtails often have striking plumage, including grey, black, white, and yellow.

Phylogeny

A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2019 sampled 56 of the 68 recognised species in the family Motacillidae and found that the species formed six major clades. The pipit genus Anthus was paraphyletic with respect to the longclaw genus Macronyx . The striped pipit (Anthus lineiventris) and the African rock pipit (Anthus crenatus) were nested with the longclaws in Macronyx. [4] The type species of Anthus, the meadow pipit, was nested with the other Palearctic species in Clade 2. [5] [4]

Motacillidae

Motacilla – typical wagtails

Clade 4 - Anthus – large-bodied African species

Clade 1 – Anthus – New World and small-bodied African species

Clade 2 – Anthus – Palearctic species

Clade 3 – Anthus – African rock pipit (Anthus crenatus) and striped pipit (Anthus lineiventris)

Macronyx – longclaws – but includes yellow-breasted pipit (Anthus chloris) and golden pipit (Tmetothylacus tenellus)

Species and genera

Black-headed wagtail, Motacilla flava feldegg Black-headed wagtail (M. f. feldegg).jpg
Black-headed wagtail, Motacilla flava feldegg
Olive-backed pipit, Anthus hodgsoni Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) in Kolkata W IMG 4336.jpg
Olive-backed pipit, Anthus hodgsoni
Forest wagtail, Dendronanthus indicus Forest wagtail.jpg
Forest wagtail, Dendronanthus indicus
Yellow-throated longclaw, Macronyx croceus Yellow-throated Longclaw (Macronyx croceus).jpg
Yellow-throated longclaw, Macronyx croceus
Paddyfield pipit, Anthus rufulus Paddyfield Pipit in Bhopal.jpg
Paddyfield pipit, Anthus rufulus

Family: Motacillidae

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wagtail</span> Genus of birds

Wagtails are a group of passerine birds that form the genus Motacilla in the family Motacillidae. The common name and genus name are derived from their characteristic tail pumping behaviour. Together with the pipits and longclaws they form the family Motacillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White wagtail</span> Species of bird

The white wagtail is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in much of Europe and the Asian Palearctic and parts of North Africa. It has a toehold in Alaska as a scarce breeder. It is resident in the mildest parts of its range, but otherwise migrates to Africa. In Ireland and Great Britain, the darker subspecies, the pied wagtail or water wagtail predominates; this is also called in Ireland willie wagtail, not to be confused with the Australian species Rhipidura leucophrys which bears the same common name. In total, there are between 9 and 11 subspecies of M. alba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pipit</span> Genus of birds

The pipits are a cosmopolitan genus, Anthus, of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. Along with the wagtails and longclaws, the pipits make up the family Motacillidae. The genus is widespread, occurring across most of the world, except the driest deserts, rainforest and the mainland of Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western yellow wagtail</span> Species of bird

The western yellow wagtail is a small passerine in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest wagtail</span> Species of bird

The forest wagtail is a medium-sized passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae. It has a distinctive plumage that sets it apart from other wagtails and has the habit of wagging its tail sideways unlike the usual up and down movements of the other wagtail species. It is the only wagtail species that nests in trees. It is found mainly in forested habitats, breeding in the temperate parts of east Asia and wintering across tropical Asia from India to Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape longclaw</span> Species of bird

The Cape longclaw or orange-throated longclaw is a passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which comprises the longclaws, pipits and wagtails. It occurs in Southern Africa in Zimbabwe and southern and eastern South Africa. This species is found in coastal and mountain grassland, often near water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharpe's longclaw</span> Species of bird

Sharpe's longclaw is a passerine bird in the longclaw family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and wagtails. It is endemic to Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pangani longclaw</span> Species of bird

The Pangani longclaw is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae, which includes the pipits and wagtails. It is found in Tanzania, Kenya and Somalia. The bird's natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fülleborn's longclaw</span> Species of bird

Fülleborn's longclaw or Fuelleborn's longclaw, is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae. It is found in damp grassy habitats in south-central Africa.

Hemimacronyx is a proposed genus of birds in the pipit and wagtail family Motacillidae. It contains two species that are usually treated as belonging to two larger genera, Macronyx and Anthus. The plumage of the two species is more similar to that of the longclaws and the golden pipit, having brown barred backs and bright yellow breasts and throats. They are presumed to be closely related to these two groups, but the split has not been widely recognised. Both species are found in open areas of Africa. They are both threatened with extinction due to human activities, principally habitat loss.

References

  1. ↑ Voelker, Gary; Scott V. Edwards (1998). "Can weighting improve bushy trees? Models of cytochrome b evolution and the molecular systematics of pipits and wagtails (Aves: Motacillidae)". Systematic Biology. 47 (4): 589–603. doi: 10.1080/106351598260608 . PMID   12066304.
  2. 1 2 3 Clancey, P.A. (1991). Forshaw, Joseph (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds. London: Merehurst Press. pp. 172–173. ISBN   1-85391-186-0.
  3. ↑ Dunning, John B. Jr., ed. (2008). CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses (2nd ed.). CRC Press. ISBN   978-1-4200-6444-5.
  4. 1 2 Pietersen, D.W.; McKechnie, A.E.; Jansen, R.; Little, I.T.; Bastos, A.D.S. (2019). "Multi-locus phylogeny of African pipits and longclaws (Aves: Motacillidae) highlights taxonomic inconsistencies". Ibis. 161 (4): 781–792. doi:10.1111/ibi.12683. hdl: 2263/72271 .
  5. ↑ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1960). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 9. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 144.
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