Motacilla cinerea
Motacilla cinerea
This species is distributed across **Eurasia and Africa** (BirdLife International, 2024). In Europe, it is absent from large areas of the **north and east** (Keller et al., 2020). In Spain, it occurs throughout the **humid and mountainous regions** of the peninsula, and in the Canary Islands the endemic subspecies Motacilla cinerea canariensis is present (Lorenzo, 2007).
In the **Community of Madrid**, it has a wide distribution, being absent only from the **deforested and dry areas** of the southeast, the **floodplains of the Tajo and Jarama**, and the **mid- and high-mountain areas** along the Sierra de Guadarrama. It occupies a variety of habitats, although it almost always appears **near watercourses** (except in the aforementioned floodplains; Díaz et al., 1994).
Within the **national park**, it has been detected occasionally. Records have been made along major watercourses, including the **southern river sections**, the **Manzanares River**, and the **streams of the Fuenfría valley**. It is also abundant on the **northern slope of the Navafría pass**.
The grey wagtail is closely associated with **permanent freshwater courses**, showing a preference for stretches with **exposed rocks** and **gravel beds** (Gordo and Aymí in SEO/BirdLife, 2022). In the Canary Islands, it occupies **tree crops**, and to a lesser extent **agricultural mosaics**, **laurel forests**, and similar habitats (González-Melián in Lorenzo, 2007).
Within the **national park**, the highest abundances are found at specific points where **watercourses** are present. In this context, the species appears associated with **shrublands and forests**, although with generally **very low densities**.
At a global scale, it is considered a species of **Least Concern** (LC; 2016). In Europe it would also be classified under the same category (LC; 2020). In Spain, peninsular populations are listed as **Least Concern** in the 2021 Red List, while Canary Island populations are classified as **Near Threatened**.
The **Catalogue of Threatened Species of the Community of Madrid** (1992) does not assign this species to any threat category.
BirdLife International 2024. IUCN Red List for birds. https://datazone.birdlife.org.
Díaz, M., Martí, R., Gómez-Manzaneque, Á. y Sánchez, A. 1994. Atlas de las aves nidificantes en Madrid. Agencia de Medio Ambiente y SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.
Keller, V., Herrando, S., Voříšek, P., Franch, M., Kipson, M., Milanesi, P., Martí, D., Antón, M., Klvaňová, A., Kalyakin, M. V. Bauer, H. Gr y Foppen, R. P. B. 2020. European Breeding Bird Atlas 2: Distribution, Abundance and Change. European Birds Census Council y Lynx Edicions. Barcelona.
Lorenzo, J. A. (Ed.) 2007. Atlas de las aves nidificantes en el archipiélago canario (1997-2003). Dirección General de Conservación de la Naturaleza y Sociedad Española de Ornitología. Madrid.
SEO/BirdLife (Molina, B., Nebreda, A., Muñoz, A. R., Seoane, J., Real, R., Bustamante, J. y Del Moral, J. C., Eds.). 2022. III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.