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.
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.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in March · a variable species across most of its range
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.
Learn the Blackstart for real
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