A photo of a Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka), male
Pied Wheatear, Male

Pied Wheatear

Oenanthe pleschanka

The pied wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka) is a wheatear, a small insectivorous passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher (family Muscicapidae). This migratory central Asiatic wheatear occurs from the extreme southeast of Europe to China, and has been found wintering in India and northeastern Africa. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. The male is a boldly marked white-and-black bird. The white crown tinged with brown contrasts with the black face and throat and white rump. The female is browner, and the head is washed with sandy buff. Females are darker than the females of the northern wheatear, look smaller and show less white on the rump. The tail feathers are white with characteristic black markings, which form an inverted black "T" pattern that resembles the tail of the western black-eared wheatear. This bird nests in open, stony, sparsely vegetated regions, laying four to six eggs in a hole, under a stone or in a rock crevice. The pied wheatear primarily eats insects but will also take seeds.
Birda logo
Download Birda for free and join the community of curious everyday people connecting with the natural world
Birda logo
Download Birda for free and join the community

Pied Wheatears on Birda

Photos

Sightings

A photo of a Pied Wheatear photographed in Spanish City - The road to renaissance United Kingdom
🦉
Richard Mullen
Saturday 12 Nov 2022 - 11:23am
United Kingdom
A photo of a Pied Wheatear photographed in Cara Guest House United Kingdom
🦢
Dan Nesbit
Wednesday 09 Nov 2022 - 3:48pm
United Kingdom
A map showing the sighting location
🦢
Dylan Burgess
Tuesday 08 Nov 2022 - 10:44am
United Kingdom
A map showing the sighting location
🦢
Oli Bailey
Friday 04 Nov 2022 - 12:52pm
United Kingdom
Connect with nature,
Find your flock
Copyright © 2023 Chirp Birding Ltd. All rights reserved.