Black Wheatear vs Pied Wheatear

Black Wheatear

Oenanthe leucura

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This large 16–18 cm long wheatear. The male of this species is all black except a white rump and mainly white tail. The female is similar, but dark brown rather than black. It has a loud thrush-like song. The similar white-crowned wheatear (Oenanthe leucopyga) also breeds in the African part of the black wheatear's range, but the black wheatear has a black inverted "T" on its white tail, whereas white-crowned has only a black centre to its tail. The black wheatear never has a white crown, but young white-crowned wheatears also lack this feature.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Martien Brand from Mariënberg, The Netherlands · CC BY 2.0

Pied Wheatear

Oenanthe pleschanka

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The crown, nape and neck of the adult male pied wheatear are pale brown, the feathers having pale tips and white bases. The mantle and scapulars are black with buff tips to the feathers. The back, rump and upper tail-coverts are creamy-white. The central pair of tail feathers are black with white bases but the rest are white with black tips, the outer pair having rather more black than the rest. There is a narrow buff-coloured line extending from the base of the beak to over the eye and the lores, ear coverts, chin, throat and upper breast are black.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recorded by Jochem Verweij · Call · Ögiy, O'giinuur, Arkhangai, Mongolia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Julien Renoult · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black Wheatear and Pied Wheatear.