The White wagtail (Motacilla alba) is basically grey above and white below, with a white face, black cap and black throat. It breeds in much of Europe and Asia and parts of north Africa. The Latin genus name originally meant "little mover", but certain medieval writers though it meant "wag-tail", giving rise to a new Latin word, cilla, for "tail". The species name, alba, is Latin for "white". The white wagtail is the national bird of Latvia.
