This widespread wagtail prefers wet meadows, marshland, and grassy or muddy lakeshores. It is also found in fields and often near livestock during migration. Like other wagtails, it walks on the ground and pumps its long, white-sided tail up and down. The plumage is highly variable, but the breeding male is bright yellow below with a greenish back. The male’s head pattern varies by region: in the U.K., it has a greenish head with a yellow eyebrow; in northern Europe, the head is slaty gray; in central and southwest Europe, it has a blue-gray head with a white eyebrow; and in Mongolia and northwestern China, there are striking white-headed birds. Individuals of several subspecies may winter together. Females and nonbreeding birds have drabber and paler plumage, with faint patterns similar to the males. The songs and calls vary between subspecies, but most have some form of buzzy “dzeerdzeer” or downslurred “tzree.”