Capped Wheatear

Oenanthe pileata

Silhouette: PhyloPic · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
FamilyMuscicapidae (Old World Flycatchers, Robins, and Chats)
GenusOenanthe (Wheatears and Allies)
SpeciesOenanthe pileata (Capped Wheatear)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Namib-Naukluft National Park

20 Verified sightings at Namib-Naukluft National Park From 2019 to 2026

2,525 Verified sightings across all 36 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ 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 Namib-Naukluft National Park

Oenanthe familiaris

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Oenanthe monticola

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Emarginata tractrac

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Bradornis infuscatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Tychaedon coryphoeus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Emarginata schlegelii

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Monticola brevipes

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Bradornis mariquensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Erythropygia paena

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Namibornis herero

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Saxicola torquatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Myrmecocichla formicivora

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

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

← Back to Namib-Naukluft National Park

Capped Wheatear

About the Capped Wheatear

Recent sightings of Capped Wheatear in Namib-Naukluft National Park

Closest Relatives at Namib-Naukluft National Park

Familiar Chat

Mountain Chat

Tractrac Chat

Chat Flycatcher

Karoo Scrub-Robin

Karoo Chat

Short-toed Rock-Thrush

Mariqua Flycatcher

Kalahari Scrub Robin

Herero Chat

African Stonechat

Southern Anteater-Chat

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found