Northern Wheatear
Northern WheatearNorthern WheatearNorthern WheatearNorthern Wheatear

Northern Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

Silhouette: Charles J. Sharp · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Masai Mara National Reserve
462 Verified sightings at Masai Mara National Reserve From 2019 to 2026
13,377 Verified sightings across all 56 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 →

Closest Relatives at Masai Mara National Reserve

Isabelline Wheatear
LC

Isabelline Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe isabellina

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Capped Wheatear
LC

Capped Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe pileata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pied Wheatear
LC

Pied Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe pleschanka

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Familiar Chat
LC

Familiar Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe familiaris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Abyssinian Wheatear
LC

Abyssinian Wheatear

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oenanthe lugubris

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Sooty Chat
LC

Sooty Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Myrmecocichla nigra

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
White-browed Robin-Chat
LC

White-browed Robin-Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cossypha heuglini

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
African Gray Flycatcher
LC

African Gray Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bradornis microrhynchus

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

Northern Anteater-Chat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Myrmecocichla aethiops

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Silverbird
LC

Silverbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Empidornis semipartitus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Northern Black-Flycatcher
LC

Northern Black-Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melaenornis edolioides

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
White-browed Scrub Robin

White-browed Scrub Robin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Erythropygia leucophrys

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Hohe Tauern National Park 🇦🇹 Austria
~40%
2 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~40%
3 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
4 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
5 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~30%
6 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
7 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
8 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
9 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
10 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
11 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~20%
12 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
13 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
14 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
15 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
16 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
17 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
18 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
19 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
20 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
21 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
22 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
23 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
24 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
25 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
26 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
27 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
28 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
29 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
30 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
31 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
32 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
33 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
~10%
34 Thingvellir National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
~10%
35 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
~10%
36 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~10%
37 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
38 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
<5%
39 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
<5%
40 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
41 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
42 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
43 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
44 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
<5%
45 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
46 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
47 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
48 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
49 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
50 Bale Mountains National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
51 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
52 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
Insufficient data
53 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
Insufficient data
54 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
55 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
56 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Northern Wheatear in Masai Mara National Reserve?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Wheatear sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve, based on 462 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Northern Wheatear in Masai Mara National Reserve?

January has the highest sighting rate for Northern Wheatear in Masai Mara National Reserve in our monthly data.

← Back to Masai Mara National Reserve