Blackstart (Oenanthe melanura) | Photos and ID

LCLeast ConcernInvertebrates

RockyCavity nestSmall · 15 g

Blackstart (Oenanthe melanura), photo 1 — Photo: Julien Renoult · CC BY 4.0

Blackstart (Oenanthe melanura), photo 2 — Photo: Julien Renoult · CC BY 4.0

Blackstart (Oenanthe melanura), photo 3 — Photo: Mahomed Desai · CC BY 4.0

Blackstart (Oenanthe melanura), photo 4 — Photo: Mahomed Desai · CC BY 4.0

ID tip

The blackstart is around 14 cm (5.5 in) in length with a wingspan of 23–27 cm (9.1–10.6 in) and a weight of around 15 g (0.53 oz). The nominate race O. m. melanura has blueish ash-grey upperparts with darker wings and a black rump and tail. The belly and under-wings are greyish white; the bill and legs are black. The sexes are similar. The North African subspecies O. m. lypura and O. m. airensis are browner than the nominate.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Blackstart

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 10 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is March, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Blackstart

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 11 countries with regular records, and 3 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Israel Palestinian Territories Oman Jordan Saudi Arabia Ethiopia Djibouti Egypt Somalia Yemen Niger

Recorded as a rare visitor in Sudan, Eritrea, Syria.

About the Blackstart

The blackstart is a chat found in desert regions in North Africa, the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula. It is resident throughout its range.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Black WheatearOenanthe leucuraThis large 16–18 cm long wheatear.

Pied WheatearOenanthe pleschankaThe crown, nape and neck of the adult male pied wheatear are pale brown, the feathers having pale tips and white bases.

White-crowned WheatearOenanthe leucopygaThis large 17–18 cm long wheatear breeds in stony deserts from the Sahara and Arabia across to Iraq.

Side by side: Blackstart vs Pied Wheatear · Black Wheatear vs Blackstart · Blackstart vs White-crowned Wheatear

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