Submission No 383: Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea, Pascoe River, Cape York Peninsula, QLD. 3rd November 2002. Submitted by: R. Broomham.

Verdict: Accepted

This case describes a wagtail observed at the Pascoe River Crossing, 58km NE of the Peninsula Development Road going into Iron Range National Park, QLD. The bird was watched for approximately 20 minutes on the 3rd November on the riverbed itself, which contained sandy sections between pools of water.

The description is brief but does describe the grey head, back & tail, rich yellow undertail coverts, a white throat, a dirty yellow rump, a long pale eyebrow extending behind the eye, pink legs, blackish wings and a wing-bar in flight. The characteristic "tail bouncing" was an obvious feature. The combination of a yellow rump, pink legs and wing-bar as well as the habitat preference was used to eliminate Citrine Wagtail M. citreola and the various races of Yellow Wagtail M. flava.

The committee voted unanimously in favour of acceptance despite the fact that this was a single observer sighting with a description provided predominantly from memory. As with other records of Grey Wagtail in Australia it most likely of the east Asian subspecies M. c. robusta.

This sighting represents the tenth confirmed record for Australia.

References and Bibliography:

· Cramp, S 1988. Birds of the Western Palearctic, Vol 5 Tyrant flycatchers to thrushes. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
· Patterson, R.M. 1996. RAOU Records Appraisal Committee: Opinions and Case Summaries 1992-1995. Submission No.157. RAOU Report No. 101, May 1996.

Tony Palliser
Chairman Birds Australia Rarities Committee (BARC)