CreatureData

Cape wagtail

Motacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The cape wagtail (Motacilla capensis) is a species in the family Motacillidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 20.8 g to 22 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Cape wagtail (Motacilla capensis)
Photo: Joachim Huber · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the cape wagtail

Weight
20.8 g – 22 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the cape wagtail live?

Not recorded

What is the cape wagtail?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Cape wagtail (Motacilla capensis), also known as Wells's wagtail, is a small insectivorous bird which is widespread in southern Africa. It frequents water's edge, lawns and gardens. It is a mostly resident, territorial species, but has been known to undertake limited altitudinal migration or form flocks outside of the breeding season. Like other wagtails they are passerine birds of the family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws.

From the Wikipedia article “Cape wagtail” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_wagtail&oldid=1355304188), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the cape wagtail endangered?

The cape wagtail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the cape wagtail classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyMotacillidae
  6. genusMotacilla
  7. SpeciesMotacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766

Synonyms Motacila capensis, Psomophilus capensis

Other names and names in other languages (37)
  • Wells's wagtailEnglish
  • KwikstertjieAfrikaans
  • Gewone KwikkieAfrikaans
  • ذعرة كيبArabic
  • Капска стърчиопашкаBulgarian
  • cuereta del CapCatalan
  • konipas jihoafrickýCzech
  • siglen y PenrhynWelsh
  • KapvipstjertDanish
  • KapstelzeGerman
  • kaba motaciloEsperanto
  • Kablanda motaciloEsperanto
  • Lavandera de El CaboSpanish
  • lõunavästrikEstonian
  • دمجنبانک کیپPersian
  • suvantovästäräkkiFinnish
  • bergeronnette du CapFrench
  • maslinasta pastiricaCroatian
  • fokföldi billegetőHungarian
  • Ballerina del CapoItalian
  • サメハクセキレイJapanese
  • kapinė kielėLithuanian
  • Kaapse kwikstaartDutch
  • askeerleNorwegian
  • pliszka obrożnaPolish
  • Alveola-do-CaboPortuguese
  • alvéola-do-caboPortuguese
  • Капская трясогузкаRussian
  • trasochvost bielohrdlýSlovak
  • Kapska pliskaSerbian
  • kapärlaSwedish
  • Kap KuyruksallayanıTurkish
  • mosalakataneTswana
  • плиска капськаUkrainian
  • 南非鶺鴒Chinese
  • 海角鶺鴒Chinese
  • 海角鹡鸰Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the cape wagtail

Other species in the same genus Motacilla.

CompareCape wagtail vs White wagtailCape wagtail vs Western yellow wagtailCape wagtail vs Citrine wagtailCape wagtail vs Grey wagtail

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the cape wagtail?

An adult cape wagtail weighs 20.8 g – 22 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the cape wagtail endangered?

The cape wagtail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the cape wagtail?

The cape wagtail (Motacilla capensis) belongs to the family Motacillidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Cape wagtail (Motacilla capensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-wagtail

MLA

“Cape wagtail (Motacilla capensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-wagtail.

BibTeX
@misc{cape_wagtail_2026,
  title = {Cape wagtail (Motacilla capensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-wagtail},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}