Capped Wheatear
Capped WheatearCapped WheatearCapped WheatearCapped Wheatear

Capped Wheatear

Oenanthe pileata

Silhouette: PhyloPic · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Etosha National Park
221 Verified sightings at Etosha National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,525 Verified sightings across all 36 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Capped Wheatear

The capped wheatear (Oenanthe pileata) is a small insectivorous passerine bird that is widely distributed over southern Africa. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now placed in the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae.

The capped wheatear was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the wagtails in the genus Motacilla and coined the binomial name Motacilla pileata. The specific epithet is from Latin pileatus meaning "-capped". Gmelin based his account on the "Black-hooded wheat-ear" that had been described in 1783 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his multi-volume work A General Synopsis of Birds. Latham's specimen had been collected near the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. The capped wheatear is now placed in the genus Oenanthe that was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot.

Three subspecies are recognised: O. p. neseri Macdonald, 1952 – south Angola, Namibia, west Botswana and northwest South Africa O. p. livingstonii (Tristram, 1868) – central Kenya to northeast... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Etosha National Park

Familiar Chat
LC

Familiar Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe familiaris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Mountain Chat

Mountain Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe monticola

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Mariqua Flycatcher
LC

Mariqua Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bradornis mariquensis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Kalahari Scrub Robin

Kalahari Scrub Robin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Erythropygia paena

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
White-browed Scrub Robin

White-browed Scrub Robin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Erythropygia leucophrys

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Chat Flycatcher

Chat Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bradornis infuscatus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Southern Anteater-Chat
LC

Southern Anteater-Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Myrmecocichla formicivora

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Short-toed Rock-Thrush
LC

Short-toed Rock-Thrush

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Monticola brevipes

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Spotted Flycatcher
LC

Spotted Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Muscicapa striata

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Pale Flycatcher

Pale Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bradornis pallidus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Fork-tailed Drongo
LC

Fork-tailed Drongo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dicrurus adsimilis

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Red-shouldered Glossy-starling
LC

Red-shouldered Glossy-starling

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lamprotornis nitens

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
2 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
3 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
4 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
5 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
6 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
7 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
8 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
9 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
10 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
11 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
12 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
13 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
14 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
15 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
16 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
17 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
18 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
19 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
20 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
21 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data
22 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
23 Golden Gate Highlands National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
24 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
25 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
Insufficient data
26 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
27 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
28 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
29 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
30 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
Insufficient data
31 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
32 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
33 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
34 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
35 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data
36 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Capped Wheatear in Etosha National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Capped Wheatear sighting in Etosha National Park, based on 221 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Capped Wheatear in Etosha National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Capped Wheatear in Etosha National Park in our monthly data.

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