Short abstract from the book: The yellow wagtail is a common breeding bird all over
Denmark and a common passage migrant. The first yellow
wagtail was ringed in Denmark in 1921, with the greatest
number ringed in 1988 (2,122). The recovered birds were
ringed from 12 May to 29 September, the majority during
autumn at common roost sites. Most of the recovered birds
were ringed east of the Great Belt. The recoveries indicate
that most juvenile birds stay close to their hatching area until
early August. In late September two Danish birds ringed as
chicks were recovered in France and in mid-September in
eastern Spain. Another bird was recovered in Morocco, but
the recovery date is unfortunately unknown. None of the yellow wagtails from the Danish breeding population have been
recovered during the winter season. The mean distance to the
hatching site of three birds recovered in a subsequent breeding
season was 6 km (2-10 km).
The recoveries show that most passage migrants come
from Sweden and probably to a lesser degree from Finland.
Birds from populations north of Denmark have been
ringed or recovered in Denmark from 20 August to 18
September. From Denmark most birds migrate SSW
through France, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco. The
first passage migrant was recovered in the Mediterranean
on 14 September (176 km/day). Only one bird was recovered during winter, in Morocco on 21 November. A bird
was recovered on 2 May in North Africa, which is the only
spring recovery south of Denmark. Fifty-six per cent of
the recoveries were live recaptures. Ten birds were found
dead and four had been hunted. Seven of the 12 birds that
were ringed as juveniles and recovered as 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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