Sprightly and skittish, the Pied Wagtail is constantly on the move, with its jerky walk and its bobbing tail. It can often be seen scurrying along the island mudflats from the Pick up Hide at RSPB Fairburn Ings in North Yorkshire.  Individuals are often seen dashing across verges on the hunt for insects, as comfortable in urban wastes as they are alongside streams and reed beds. Pied Wagtails will gather in their hundreds in winter to roost, with flocks settling in car parks, sewage works, hospitals and supermarkets.

Pied wagtails are a familiar black and white bird with a white face, white belly and white bars on the wings. The other two breeding species of wagtail in the UK both have yellow underparts. The White Wagtail, a rare visitor in spring, looks very similar but has a pale grey back.  Pied wagtails are found across Europe and Asia and in parts of north Africa where they are known as white wagtails. The British subspecies of pied wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrelli) has a darker plumage on its back. Pied wagtails are petite birds with a sharp pointed beak ideal for jabbing at insects.