Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)Where and when to see it in the UK
Resident · reporting peaks September to October · Wagtails and Pipits · BOU category AF
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
Grey Wagtail has been recorded in 2,558 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (86%) in records to 2026. Resident in the UK. Its strongest squares are in England, Scotland and Wales. Reporting peaks in September to October.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 21% or more of visits
- High
- 10% to 21%
- Moderate
- 5% to 10%
- Low
- under 5%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51% | 7% | Low |
| February | 51% | 7% | Very high |
| March | 58% | 8% | Very high |
| April | 48% | 7% | Very high |
| May | 44% | 6% | Very high |
| June | 44% | 6% | Very high |
| July | 41% | 6% | Very high |
| August | 44% | 6% | Very high |
| September | 88% | 13% | Very high |
| October | 100% | 14% | Very high |
| November | 84% | 12% | Very high |
| December | 61% | 9% | Moderate |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in September
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| C51 | Derry City and Strabane, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| D31 | Mid and East Antrim, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| H13 | Fermanagh and Omagh, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| HU41 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HU56 | Shetland Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| HY32 | Orkney Islands, Scotland | 100% | Very high |
| J26 | Lisburn and Castlereagh, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| J28 | Antrim and Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| J36 | Lisburn and Castlereagh, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |
| J48 | Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland | 100% | Very high |