Northern Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
Silhouette: Charles J. Sharp · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyMuscicapidae (Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats)
- GenusOenanthe (Wheatears and Allies)
- SpeciesOenanthe oenanthe (Northern Wheatear)
About the Northern Wheatear
The northern wheatear or wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is the most widespread member of the wheatear genus Oenanthe in Europe and North and Central Asia. The northern wheatear is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in open stony country in Europe and east across the Palearctic with footholds in northeastern Canada and Greenland as well as in northwestern Canada and Alaska. It nests in rock crevices and rabbit burrows. All birds spend most of their winter in Africa.
The northern wheatear belongs to a distinctive group of Old World flycatchers, known as chats, that were formerly thought to be thrushes. Genetic analysis showed that they were in fact a type of flycatcher (Muscicapidae), with the resemblance to thrushes being the result of convergent evolution. The northern wheatear was first formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae as Motacilla oenanthe. The species is now placed in the genus Oenanthe that was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816. The generic name, Oenanthe, is also the... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Northern Wheatear in Biebrza National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Biebrza National Park
European Robin
Erithacus rubecula
Thrush Nightingale
Luscinia luscinia
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetra
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
Bluethroat
Luscinia svecica
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striata
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurus
European Pied Flycatcher
Ficedula hypoleuca
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Ficedula parva
European Stonechat
Saxicola rubicola
Collared Flycatcher
Ficedula albicollis
Common Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchos
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Northern Wheatear in Biebrza National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Wheatear sighting in Biebrza National Park, based on 115 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Northern Wheatear in Biebrza National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for Northern Wheatear in Biebrza National Park in our monthly data.