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Focus on species
| Wheatear |
Oenanthe
oenanthe
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Identification
There
is only one species of wheatear that breeds in Britain and
Ireland so identification is fairly straightforward. Wheatears
are a bit bigger than a Robin, have an upright stance and
in flight show a conspicuous white rump and tail markings.
The males are striking with a black mask, black wings, grey
back and pale underparts. Females are not so bright and lack
the black mask.
To listen to the song of the Wheatear click
here (.wav file 100Kb).
Bird song kindly supplied by Geoffrey
Sample.
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Status/distribution
Wheatears
can occur on passage almost anywhere but breeding occurs largely
in the north and west, the majority breeding above 300m.
In the southern half of England, Wheatears have a scattered
breeding distribution, with concentrations in Breckland and
Dartmoor. Wheatears chiefly nest in holes in the ground but
prefer rabbit nurseries, but will also nest in holes in walls,
under rocks and in mountain screes. Wheatears were poorly
monitored until the Breeding
Bird Survey started, so their long-term population
trend is difficult to assess. There is some suggestion of
range contraction between the periods of the breeding atlases
in the 1970s and 1990s, perhaps due to losses of grasses or
declines in rabbit abundance.
Detailed
information on Wheatear population trends and breeding success
is given on the Wider
Countryside Report web pages.
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Timing of
migration
The first Wheatears
can be seen at coastal localities in early March and by the end
of March or early April good numbers are in the country. By mid-April
they can be breeding as far north as Shetland! Exceptionally, Wheatears
are recorded in late February. The larger ‘Greenland’
race passes through slightly later. Counts at Bird
Observatories vary tremendously with the more westerly observatories
generally recording higher numbers. There is some suggestion that
Wheatears fly straight to their breeding grounds and that the ‘Greenland’
race tends to pause at coastal localities before starting their
North Atlantic crossing.
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latest results for Wheatear |
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Migration
strategy/routes
Wheatears
winter south of the Sahara in West Africa. The first migrants
leave their wintering grounds in January, the males migrating
a week or two before the females. Spring migration is more
protracted than autumn, and they stop off en route to rest
and feed. Wheatears keenly defend their feeding area on their
wintering grounds and also on passage, so watch out for territorial
disputes!
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