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 Vatnajokull National Park
208 Verified sightings at Vatnajokull National Park From 2019 to 2026
13,377 Verified sightings across all 56 parks From 2019 to 2026
May 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 Vatnajokull National Park

European Robin
LC

European Robin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Erithacus rubecula

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Whinchat
LC

Whinchat

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Saxicola rubetra

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Spotted Flycatcher
LC

Spotted Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Muscicapa striata

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Red-flanked Bluetail
LC

Red-flanked Bluetail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tarsiger cyanurus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Redwing
LC

Redwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Turdus iliacus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Common Redpoll
LC

Common Redpoll

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Acanthis flammea

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Meadow Pipit
LC

Meadow Pipit

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anthus pratensis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
White Wagtail
LC

White Wagtail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Motacilla alba

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Common Raven
LC

Common Raven

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Corvus corax

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Snow Bunting
LC

Snow Bunting

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Plectrophenax nivalis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Goldcrest
LC

Goldcrest

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Regulus regulus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Eurasian Wren
LC

Eurasian Wren

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Troglodytes troglodytes

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

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 Vatnajokull National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Wheatear sighting in Vatnajokull National Park, based on 208 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Northern Wheatear in Vatnajokull National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Northern Wheatear in Vatnajokull National Park in our monthly data.

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