Northern Wheatear (Kluane National Park and Reserve of Canada | Parc national et réserve de parc national du Canada Kluane)

Northern Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

Description ²

The northern wheatear is larger than the European robin at 14½–16 cm length. Both sexes have a white rump and tail, with a black inverted T-pattern at the end of the tail.

The plumage of the summer male has grey upperparts, buff throat and black wings and face mask. In autumn it resembles the female apart from the black wings. The female is pale brown above and buff below with darker brown wings. The male has a whistling, crackly song. Its call is a typical chat chack noise, and the flight call is the same.

Taxon biology ³

Northern wheatears fly amazing distances every year. They breed far north and spend the winter in the Sahara. Some northern wheatears fly up to 15,000 kilometers. Not all northern wheatears breed so far north. In the summer, they are found throughout Europe. One of their favorite places to nest in the Netherlands is in deserted rabbits burrows. They like treeless terrains, such as tundra, open mountainous areas, heath fields and bare dunes. Sometimes, they sit on a stone or in a bush while waiting for a prey; other times they run around as they search for insects, spiders, snails or berries.

Habitat ⁴

Comments: Open country, stony or barren localities with or without bushes, tundra, steppe, and desert; in migration and winter also in meadows and cultivated fields (AOU 1983). Nests in cavity among or under rocks or heaps of stones, in rabbit burrows; on barer mountains and hillsides and around settlements (Terres 1980, Harrison 1978).

Reproduction ⁵

Clutch size is 3-8 (usually 5-6). Incubation, mostly by female, lasts 13-14 days. Young are tended by both parents, leave nest at about 15 days.

Sources and Credits

More Info

Range Map

iNaturalist.ca Map

Bird	Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae)
Animal	Bird
Color	black, grey, white

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