Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus)
Order: PASSERIFORMES
Family: MOTACILLIDAE Pipits, Wagtails
Scientific name: Dendronanthus indicus
English name: Forest Wagtail
Characteristic: Size 18 cm. A small slender-looking bird; upperpart greenish brown with white-patterned black wings; a black breast band and black markings at wing benda; underpart whitish; a pale supercilium quite conspicuous; tail with white outer borders.
Distribution: East Asia, India, China, Hainan, Southeast Asia, the Andamans, the Greater Sundas and the Philippines.
Habitat: Evergreen forest and deciduous forest, forest plantation, mangrove forest, from the plain up to 1,500 m. altitude. In Sakaerat forest, it prefers the forest roads and clearings.
Habit: Encountered mostly solitarily or in small flocks, walking incessantly on the roads or flying intermittently in front of the passing cars. Foraging is done on the ground for insects and plant seeds, sometimes entering under the bushes. When being disturbed, it flies up to perch among high branches, which this wagtail can outdo the other wagtails. At night, they roost among high reeds, in sugarcane fields or high in trees. It can be seen in this area from March until November.
Status: Described as a passage migrant and a seasonal visitor, it is not so common in Sakaerat area. Already protected by wildlife law as a protected wild animal.
