Historical record: This record was not submitted by observers. It was compiled and made available here as part of the Bird Society of Singapore's effort to make historical records more easily accessible. Click here to read more about this initiative.
| Species | White Wagtail Motacilla alba |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 1978 |
| Date | 30 Mar 2021 |
| Location | Marina East Drive |
| Count | 1 individual |
| Subspecies | alba |
| Date added | 16 Dec 2023 |
This record has not been accepted by the Records Committee. For more details, see below.
| Background |
|---|
| In the refered post on the Nature Society of Singapore Bird Group blog, an alba White Wagtail is very strong suggested: a subspecies with only 1 record in Singapore as of writing, and one that is extremely rare and unexpected even further north in continental Southeast Asia.
The article describes the bird as "most [resembling] an alba-type White Wagtail", citing Per Alström pers. comms., who commented that the bird was "most similar to alba... but the head pattern shows signs of potential introgression from personata... it could also be just an aberrant alba". We acknowledge that no conclusive statement regarding the subspecific identification is provided in the article. However, despite the fact that a renowned expert provided opinions on the bird (who might not have been provided accurate context on the local situation of White Wagtail subspecific occurence), we do not think that the bird in question is of the very rare alba, let alone an even rarer aberrant one of such a subspecies. Instead it is more parsimonious for it to be an ocularis x leucopsis, both of which are common taxa in Singapore. The wing bar and throat match a 1y ocularis well, and while the facial patterns are odd for ocularis, it matches a 1y leucopsis well instead. It could also be an aberrant 1y ocularis. These both would be far better explanations than an aberrant alba. We would like to caution that claiming biogeographically unexpected subspecies in Singapore requires a high level of evidence (see this Peregrine Falcon record, this Crested Serpent Eagle record, and another Crested Serpent Eagle record). At the same time we agree with the article's encouragement for the community to look out for interesting looking subspecies. |
| Verdict | Not accepted (Verifiable) |
|---|
Bird Society of Singapore. (2023). Record 1978: White Wagtail Motacilla alba. Retrieved August 20, 2025, from https://records.singaporebirds.com/record/1978/.