White-browed Wagtail
Photo: Yogendra Joshi · CC BY 2.0

Wagtails and Pipits

White-browed Wagtail

Motacilla maderaspatensis

LCLeast Concern
Family
Wagtails and Pipits (Motacillidae)
Order
Passeriformes

Overview

The white-browed wagtail or large pied wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis) is a medium-sized bird and is the largest member of the wagtail family. They are conspicuously patterned with black above and white below, a prominent white brow, shoulder stripe and outer tail feathers. White-browed wagtails are native to the Indian subcontinent, common near small water bodies and have adapted to urban environments where they often nest on roof tops. The specific name is derived from the Indian city of Madras (now Chennai).

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Himalayas (northern Pakistan to Bangladesh) and peninsular India.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.