Birds Guide

Wheatears
Northern Wheatear (male)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae   Genus: Oenanthe Vieillot, 1816
Species
See text.

Northern Wheatear

The wheatears, genus Oenanthe, were formerly considered to be members of the thrush family Turdidae. They are more commonly now placed in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. This is an Old World group, but the Northern Wheatear has established a foothold in eastern Canada and Greenland.

They are terrestrial insectivorous passerine birds of open, often dry, country . They often nest in rock crevices or disused burrows.

Northern species are long-distance migrants, wintering in Africa.

Wheatears are typically larger than the European Robin. Most species have characteristic black and white or red and white markings on their rumps or their long tails.

Most species are strongly sexually dimorphic; only the male has the striking plumage patterns characteristic of the genus, though the females share the white or red rump patches.

The wheatear species are:

• Northern Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe
  Isabelline Wheatear, Oenanthe isabellina
  Desert Wheatear, Oenanthe deserti
  Black-eared Wheatear, Oenanthe hispanica
  Pied Wheatear, Oenanthe pleschanka
  Cyprus Wheatear, Oenanthe cypriaca
  Finsch's Wheatear, Oenanthe finscii
  Mourning Wheatear, Oenanthe lugens
  Hooded Wheatear, Oenanthe monacha
  White-crowned Wheatear, Oenanthe leucopyga
  Black Wheatear, Oenanthe leucura
  Persian Wheatear or Red-tailed Wheatear, Oenanthe xanthoprymna
  Red-rumped Wheatear, Oenanthe moesta
  Hume's Wheatear, Oenanthe alboniger
  Mountain Wheatear, Oenanthe monticola
  Somali Wheatear, Oenanthe phillipsi
  Variable Wheatear, Oenanthe picata
  Capped Wheatear, Oenanthe pileata
  Red-breasted Wheatear, Oenanthe bottae
  Heuglin's Wheatear, Oenanthe heuglini