A small, long-tailed, fearless, strikingly patterned bird of watersides, housing and industrial estates, car parks, and grassland, drawing attention by frequent, characteristic calls.

A familiar bird of the suburbs, where it happily feeds on asphalt and concrete, on roofs and beside garden ponds, as well as in many places that are more or less associated with water. It is equally likely to be seen in gravel pits, old quarries, stony rivers, woodyards, railway sidings, and village streets. Pied Wagtails spend most of their time on the ground, usually away from tall or dense vegetation except when roosting.