Bird Guide

Desert Wheatear vs Western Black-eared Wheatear

Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)

Desert Wheatear

Oenanthe deserti

Small20 gGrassland

The head and nape of the adult male desert wheatear are a pale sandy-grey colour with the feathers tipped grey. The mantle, scapulars and back are a similar but rather richer colour. The rump and upper tail-coverts are pale buff. The basal third of the tail feathers are white and the rest black with a pale buff tip. A curved stripe over the eye is pale buff and extends backwards. The feathers of the chin, throat, lores and ear-coverts are black tipped with white. The breast and flanks are sandy-buff and the belly and under tail-coverts are creamy-white tinged with buff.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Desert Wheatear
Recorded by ALESSANDRO MOTTA · Call, song · Castel Volturno, Provincia di Caserta, Campania, Italy · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Christoph Moning · CC BY 4.0
Western Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica)

Western Black-eared Wheatear

Oenanthe hispanica

Small15 gShrubland

The breeding male has the forehead and crown white or nearly white, the mantle buff, and the wings blacker than those of the northern wheatear. The underparts are white tinged with buff. The back, upper tail coverts and most of the tail are white. A black mask extends from the ear coverts to the bill. The throat can be either black or white. In autumn and winter the head and mantle are distinctly buff, as are the underparts (including the throat in non-black-throated individuals), but the buff varies in intensity.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Eleftherios Katsillis · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Desert Wheatear and Western Black-eared Wheatear.