Dutch Birding volume 30 (2008) no 1

Ashy-headed Wagtails at Camperduin and near Flevocentrale in April 2006

In april 2006, two males Ashy-headed Wagtails Motacilla cinereocapilla were observed in the Netherlands. The first was at Camperduin, Noord-Holland, on 16 April and the second at Flevocentrale, Flevoland, on 22 April. Both were photographed and their flight calls were sound-recorded. Both were not aged with certainty but most probably concerned first-summers. The identification was based on the following combination of characters: 1 The rasping flight call, which excludes Yellow M flavissima, Blue-headed M flava and Grey-headed Wagtail M thunbergi. 2 The clearly demarcated pure white throat, which excludes all ‘yellow wagtail’ taxa except Egyptian Wagtail M c pygmaea (an extremely unlikely vagrant to Europe and smaller in size than Ashy-headed and the two birds in April 2006) and some (especially first-year) Grey-headed. 3 The uniformly dark head (Grey-headed would normally show a slightly darker ear patch than crown). The occasional Grey-headeds with a white throat have more dark flecking on the breast and a more diffuse border between the yellow breast and white throat. The lack of (any trace of) a pale supercilium excludes Iberian Wagtail M iberiae and makes a hybrid origin (Ashy-headed x Iberian) highly unlikely. Other hybrid types could cause confusion, especially if they (may) have a rasping call, such as a hybrid Blue-headed x Black-headed Wagtail M feldegg. These hybrids, however, would be expected to show at least a trace of a white or yellow supercilium. In conclusion, the Dutch rarities committee (CDNA) considered the documentation for both birds sufficient to accept them as Ashy-headed. These were the first two records of this taxon for the Netherlands; a previous report from May 2004 has not been accepted to species level as Ashy-headed/Iberian Wagtail. The latter bird showed a short off-white supercilium behind the eye.
Dick Groenendijk, Elzenstraat 14, 4043 PB Opheusden, Nederland (dickgroenendijkfilternet.nl)
Erwin van Saane, Sloestraat 10, 1826 CV Alkmaar, Nederland (e.v.saaneversatel.nl)

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