Short abstract from the book: The white wagtail is a common breeding bird all over the
country, a common passage migrant and a rare winter visitor.
In Denmark the first white wagtail was ringed in 1932, with
the greatest number ringed in 1990 (718). The recovered
birds were ringed from 30 March to 8 October, most in June-August at relatively few sites. Seventy-six birds were ringed in
the breeding season and geographically these ringings cover the
breeding distribution relatively well.
The recoveries show that most juveniles stay close to the
breeding sites until the end of August, with a mean distance of
2 km. The last juvenile bird was recovered in Denmark on 18
September. For the autumn the first recovery abroad is from
30 September in Italy near Venice. The recoveries indicate
that birds from the Danish breeding population winter in
France, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco and possibly also
in Italy and on Malta. In spring the first recovery in Denmark
is from 20 April. Eighty-two per cent of the birds that were
ringed as chicks and recovered in a subsequent breeding season
were found less than 20 km from the ringing site (mean 19
km, 0-182 km, n=17).
The recoveries show that Denmark is visited by migrants
from southern Scandinavia. These birds have been recovered or ringed in Denmark from late July, most in September.
From Denmark most migrants continue SSW to wintering
sites around the western part of the Mediterranean. One
bird ringed on Amager took a more easterly direction to
Egypt. In March the mean position is still in the area of the
Mediterranean but in April it is Denmark, indicating a
rather fast spring migration.
Fifty-five per cent of the recoveries were live recaptures.
The major known cause of death was hunting, conducted in
France, Spain, Morocco and Italy, and collisions with windows, wires and vehicles. Seventeen of the 26 birds that were
ringed as juveniles and recovered dead were found during
their first year of life.
Read more about the species in the chapter from The Danish Bird Migration Atlashere
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