Desert Wheatear
Oenanthe deserti
The Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti) is a uncommon chats, old world flycatchers, and alli found in 70 countries, weighing about 20 g. The desert wheatear is a wheatear, a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher (Muscicapidae).
About the Desert Wheatear
The desert wheatear is a wheatear, a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher (Muscicapidae). It is a migratory insectivorous species, 14.5 to 15 cm in length. Both western and eastern forms of the desert wheatear are rare vagrants to western Europe. The western desert wheatear breeds in the Sahara and the northern Arabian Peninsula. The eastern race is found in the semi-deserts of Central Asia and in winter in Pakistan and northeast Africa.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
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.
What the Desert Wheatear sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Finland, Netherlands, Portugal, Georgia, Nigeria, Bhutan, Bulgaria, Latvia, Kenya, Senegal, Malta.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, October, November, December, with peak activity in November. It is a winter visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Desert Wheatear?
- The head and nape of the adult male desert wheatear are a pale sandy-grey colour with the feathers tipped grey. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Desert Wheatear?
- The Desert Wheatear is a small sized bird weighing about 20 g.
- Where can you see a Desert Wheatear?
- The Desert Wheatear occurs in 70 countries, including India, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Oman and Israel.
- What does a Desert Wheatear sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Desert Wheatear on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Desert Wheatear?
- The Desert Wheatear is most easily confused with the Capped Wheatear, the Brown Rock Chat and the Western Black-eared Wheatear.
- Is the Desert Wheatear endangered?
- The Desert Wheatear is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Desert Wheatear for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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