Post‐fledging dispersal of British Pied WagtailsMotacilla alba yarrellii

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Abstract
Analysis was made of 246 ringing recoveries of Pied Wagtail nestlings found during their first autumn and winter. Some birds from north of 54° 00’ had moved up to 50 km by only 30 days after ringing. Birds from north of 52° 00’ made more distant movements but only after 90 days. Birds from south of 52° 00’ started to move later, and even by 120 days, few had taken part in distant movements. Southern fledglings dispersed widely and over a longer time period than birds from farther north. The latter dispersed randomly until about 90 – 108 days after ringing, beyond which their dispersal followed “preferred” orientations.