When strolling through the vast, flower-rich mountain meadows of the Czech Ore Mountains in early summer, one might sometimes notice a bright yellow dot in the grass. A short call – sharp but not intrusive – and it’s gone again: the Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola). Once you’ve seen this lively, strikingly colored bird in the wild, you won’t soon forget it. Just a few decades ago, this would have been unthinkable in Central Europe. Today, the species is almost a permanent fixture in the Ore Mountains – at least in early summer.
The Citrine Wagtail is originally distributed in the eastern Palearctic, with breeding grounds stretching from Eastern Europe through Central Asia to Mongolia. Since the 1990s, however, a significant westward expansion of its breeding range has been observed. This westward expansion is associated with changes in land use and climatic factors.
In the Czech part of the Ore Mountains (Krušné hory), the Citrine Wagtail was first documented as a breeding bird around the turn of the millennium. Several regularly used territories are now known, particularly at altitudes between 800 and 1,200 meters asl.
The preferred habitat of the Citrine Wagtail in this region is extensively used, moist mountain meadows with abundant low vegetation and scattered shrubs. An open landscape structure that simultaneously provides cover and clear lines of sight is important. They are often found near small streams or moist hollows, which provide a rich supply of insects – essential for raising young.
The presence of the Citrine Wagtail in the Ore Mountains remains dynamic. The species rapidly colonizes newly created suitable habitats, but also shows sensitivity to intensive agriculture, drainage, and disturbance by tourism. A lasting establishment is therefore linked to stable conservation measures.
The Citrine Wagtail in the Ore Mountains is a beautiful example of the dynamic nature of European avifauna itself. Its appearance in this low mountain region demonstrates that bird species are responding flexibly to new ecological niches – the only question is which new niches these might be. Whether this is all occurring in the context of global change or is simply due to species-specific dispersal trends remains to be seen. However, simply attributing this development to climate change is certainly too simplistic.
In order to meet the growing demand for top images of the rarer species of Palaearctic Bird-lens.com has made trips to remote places. Additionally every chance is used, if a rare bird is around the homeground. This to do everything to ensure excellent photos of the Birds of the Western Palearctic. The yield of pictures also of rare Western Palaearctic birds is very good. This time Citrine Wagtails were not present yet in the Ore Mountains. So, I had to use a image from Kyrgyzstan. But there are other nice images of birds, that you will find behind the tab “Picture Shop“. Just give a notice if you need a picture of a bird which is not online.