First Described (Guide)
Duckworth, Alström, Davidson, Evans, et al., 2001
Habitat
Broad, lowland rivers, where the streambed is exposed to provide rocky outcrops and bushland, gravel shoals and/or sandbars, tufted grasses and annual dicotyledons.
Lower R Mekong and tributaries in extreme southern Laos and north-eastern Cambodia (upstream from Kampi), also marginally in adjacent parts of Thailand and Vietnam.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 10,000 - 19,999 (2010) and decreasing.
Mekong Wagtail (Motacilla samveasnae) [XC27237]
by Wouter Halfwerk from Don Khone, Laos (call)
Mekong Wagtail (Motacilla samveasnae) [XC295873]
by Wouter Halfwerk from Kratie, Cambodia (song)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Recently described species. Thought to form a superspecies with White Wagtail (Motacilla alba), White-browed Wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis), Japanese Wagtail (Motacilla grandis) and Mekong Wagtail (Motacilla samveasnae). However, recent analyses of mitochondrial DNA, suggests that it is possibly more distantly related to this group, and may be a sister-taxon to a group containing White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) (with race lugens), Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava), Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola) and Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet