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Why do wagtails wag their tails? They would be well camouflaged, if it weren’t for their constantly moving tails.
Chris Daniel Glan Conwy, Conwy, UK
On a walk the other day, I spent several minutes watching a yellow wagtail darting, its tail bobbing continuously. I wondered about the purpose of this behaviour, then I came home and opened the edition of New Scientist with this very question.
Many bird species move their tails, either bobbing them up and down like the European wagtails or waving them from side to side like the willie wagtail in Australia. Many other birds also…
