Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China (mainland), India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea (B), Pakistan, Philippines, Russia (Asian), Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan (China), Thailand, Vietnam.
Vagrant to Maldives, Oman, United Arab Emirates.
Breeds from Russian Far East (southern Ussuriland) south to south-eastern China (south to south-western Sichuan, northern Guizhou and northern Fujian) and southern Japan (south-western Honshu, north-western Kyushu); also sporadically in north-eastern India (Cachar Hills, in Assam). Winters in southern and south-eastern Asia.
 
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) [XC737331]
by Oriental Stork from \u5927\u5b81\u6c34\u5e93\u53ca\u5176\u4e1c\u90e8\u6c38\u5b9a\u6cb3\u5e9f\u5f03\u6cb3\u9053,Beijing,China, China (song)
Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) [XC110764]
by Mike Nelson from Yu Jia Village nr Nan Jiao, Sichuan (not far from Chengdu), China (call, calls)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Relationships uncertain. Sometimes placed in genus Motacilla.