---
title: "Forest Wagtail"
description: "Dendronanthus indicus — Aves. The forest wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) is a medium-sized passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pt/animal/forest-wagtail
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Forest Wagtail

> Dendronanthus indicus — Aves. The forest wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) is a medium-sized passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae.

- Scientific name: *Dendronanthus indicus*
- Category: `birds` (Aves)
- Habitats: `forest` (Floresta)
- iNaturalist observations: 1035
- Wikidata: [Q266107](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q266107)
- iNaturalist taxon: [14146](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/14146)

## Names

- en: Forest Wagtail
- de: Baumstelze
- es: Lavandera Forestal
- fr: Bergeronnette de forêt
- pl: Pliszka leśna

## Countries with the most observations

TH (249), IN (230), CN (97), LK (47), SG (41), TW (41), KR (40), MY (39), HK (36), RU (34), VN (28), KH (27)

## Summary

The forest wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) is a medium-sized passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae. It has a distinctive plumage that sets it apart from other wagtails and has the habit of wagging its tail sideways unlike the usual up and down movements of the other wagtail species. It is the only wagtail species that nests in trees. It is found mainly in forested habitats, breeding in the temperate parts of east Asia and wintering across tropical Asia from India to Indonesia.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_wagtail

## Photo

![Forest Wagtail](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/forest-wagtail/medium.jpg)

Photo: Tero Linjama · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/263277971

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/forest-wagtail?lang=pt` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).