Wheatear

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Wheatears
Oenanthe oenanthe 01 II.jpg
Male northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
Subfamily: Saxicolinae
Genus: Oenanthe
Vieillot, 1816
Type species
Motacilla oenanthe [1]
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

See text

Synonyms

Cercomela

The wheatears /ˈhwtɪər/ are passerine birds of the genus Oenanthe. They were formerly considered to be members of the thrush family, Turdidae, but are now more commonly placed in the flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. This is an Old World group, but the northern wheatear has established a foothold in eastern Canada and Greenland and in western Canada and Alaska.

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus Oenanthe was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816 with Oenanthe leucura, the black wheatear, as the type species. [2] [3] The genus formerly included fewer species but molecular phylogenetic studies of birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae found that the genus Cercomela was polyphyletic with five species, including the type species C. melanura , phylogenetically nested within the genus Oenanthe. [4] [5] This implied that Cercomela and Oenanthe were synonyms. The genus Oenanthe (Vieillot, 1816) has taxonomic priority over Cercomela (Bonaparte, 1856) making Cercomela a junior synonym. [4] [6] The genus name Oenanthe was used by Aristotle for an unidentified bird. The word is derived from the Greek oenoē meaning "vine" and anthos meaning "bloom". The bird was associated with the grape harvest season. [7]

The name "wheatear" is not derived from "wheat" or any sense of "ear", but is a folk etymology of "white" and "arse", referring to the prominent white rump found in most species. [8]

Description

Most species have characteristic black and white or red and white markings on their rumps or their long tails. Most species are strongly sexually dimorphic; only the male has the striking plumage patterns characteristic of the genus, though the females share the white or red rump patches.

Species list

The genus contains 33 species: [9]

ImageCommon NameScientific NameDistribution
Oenanthe oenanthe 01 II.jpg Northern wheatear Oenanthe oenantheHolarctic ; winters to Sub-Saharan Africa
Oenanthe seebohmi, Morocco 1.jpg Atlas wheatear Oenanthe seebohmi Maghreb  ; winters in western Sahel
Capped Wheatear, Oenanthe pileata, at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape, South Africa (36045617096).jpg Capped wheatear Oenanthe pileatasouthern Sub-Saharan Africa
- Buff-breasted wheatear Oenanthe bottae Asir Mountains
2009-0726-OenaBott-Ethiopia-LakeTana-170.jpg Rusty-breasted wheatear Oenanthe Renata Ethiopian Highlands
Isabelline wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina) male, non-breeding.jpg Isabelline wheatear Oenanthe isabellinacentral-southern Eurasia ; winters to Sub-Saharan, Africa, Middle east and South Asia
- Heuglin's wheatear Oenanthe heugliniinorthern Sub-Saharan Africa
Oenanthe monacha 93093541.jpg Hooded wheatear Oenanthe monachaMiddle- ast
Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti) (8079430894).jpg Desert wheatear Oenanthe desertiMaghreb and central Asia ; winters to North Africa, Middle East and South Asia
CollalbaRubia.jpg Western black-eared wheatear Oenanthe hispanicawestern Mediterranean ; winters to western Sahel
Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka) (8079431820).jpg Pied wheatear Oenanthe pleschankacentral Asia ; winters to East Africa
Oostelijke-blonde-tapuit-3-2 (28541306412).jpg Eastern black-eared wheatear Oenanthe melanoleucaeastern Mediterranean ; winters to eastern Sahel
Cyprus Wheatear, Avagas, Cyprus 1.jpg Cyprus wheatear Oenanthe cypraica Cyprus
Oenanthe albifrons.jpg White-fronted black chat Oenanthe albifrons Sudan (region)
- Somali wheatear Oenanthe phillipsi Horn of Africa
Red-rumped wheatear (Oenanthe moesta moesta) male Kebili.jpg Red-rumped wheatear Oenanthe moestaMorocco to Jordan ; partly winters to eastern Saudi Arabia
Blackstart-2006.01.04 m217.jpg Blackstart Oenanthe melanuraSahel and Red Sea region
Familiar Chat.jpg Familiar chat Oenanthe familiarisSub-Saharan Africa
- Brown-tailed rock chat Oenanthe scotocercaChad, western Sudan and Horn of Africa
- Sombre rock chat Oenanthe dubiamontane desert of central Ethiopia
Brown Rock-chat (Cercomela fusca) kailo rbin 1.jpg Brown rock chat Oenanthe fuscanorthern South Asia
Variable wheatear (Oenanthe picata picata) male.jpg Variable wheatear Oenanthe picatafrom eastern Iran and southern Kazakhstan to Indus river ;
winters to UAE and northwestern India
Cilfersik.jpg Finsch's wheatear Oenanthe finschii Anatolia to western Central Asia ; winters to Cyprus, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
Maghreb wheatear (Oenanthe halophila) Kebili.jpg Maghreb wheatear Oenanthe halophila Maghreb
Les oiseaux d'Egypte - panoramio - youssef alam (1).jpg Mourning wheatear Oenanthe lugensMiddle East
Basalt wheatear, Oenanthe warriae, Lior Kislev 1.jpg Basalt wheatear Oenanthe warriaebasalt desert of eastern Jordan and southern Syria
Oenanthe xanthoprymna - Kurdish Wheatear, Osmaniye, Turkey 01.jpg Kurdish wheatear Oenanthe 'xanthoprymna' Kurdistan  ; winters to Red Sea and southern Arabian Peninsula
Red Tailed Wheatear.jpg Red-tailed wheatear Oenanthe chrysopygiaIran and Pakistan ; winters to Arabian peninsula and northwestern South Asia
Saharasteinschmaetzer.jpg White-crowned wheatear Oenanthe leucopygaNorth Africa and Middle East
Oenanthe albonigra 91218790.jpg Hume's wheatear Oenanthe albonigraIran, eastern Oman to Indus valley
Black Wheatear - Merzouga Marocco 07 3429 (19400616192).jpg Black wheatear Oenanthe leucuraIberian Peninsula to western Libya and Mauritania
Oenanthe lugentoides.jpg Arabian wheatear Oenanthe lugentoidesArabian Peninsula
Oenanthe lugubris 1.jpg Abyssinian wheatear Oenanthe lugubriousmontane East Africa

Behaviour

Wheatears are terrestrial insectivorous birds of open, often dry, country. They often nest in rock crevices or disused burrows. Northern species are long-distance migrants, wintering in Africa.

Fossil record

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western black-eared wheatear</span> Species of bird

The western black-eared wheatear is a wheatear, a small migratory passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher. It was formerly considered conspecific with the eastern black-eared wheatear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern wheatear</span> Species of bird

The northern wheatear or wheatear is 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 the most widespread member of the wheatear genus Oenanthe in Europe and North and Central Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old World flycatcher</span> Family of birds

The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World, with the exception of several vagrants and two species, bluethroat and northern wheatear, found also in North America. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing. The family is relatively large and includes 357 species, which are divided into 54 genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forktail</span> Genus of birds (Enicurus)

The forktails are small insectivorous birds in the genus Enicurus. They were formerly placed in the thrush family, Turdidae, but are now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. Their common name derives from their long forked tail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black wheatear</span> Species of bird

The black wheatear is a wheatear, a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in the Iberian Peninsula and western North Africa.

<i>Saxicola</i> Genus of birds

Saxicola, the stonechats or chats, is a genus of 15 species of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World. They are insectivores occurring in open scrubland and grassland with scattered small shrubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooded wheatear</span> Species of bird

The hooded wheatear is a wheatear, a small insectivorous passerine 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackstart</span> Species of bird

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.

<i>Luscinia</i> Genus of birds

Luscinia is a genus of smallish passerine birds, containing the nightingales and relatives. Formerly classed as members of the thrush family Turdidae, they are now considered to be Old World flycatchers (Muscicapidae) of the chat subfamily (Saxicolinae). The chats are a lineage of Old World flycatchers that has evolved convergently to thrushes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain chat</span> Species of bird

The mountain chat or mountain wheatear is a small insectivorous passerine bird that is endemic to southwestern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown rock chat</span> Species of bird (Oenanthe fusca)

The brown rock chat or Indian chat is a bird species of the family Muscicapidae. It is found mainly in northern and central India. It is often found on old buildings and rocky areas. It resembles a female Indian robin but lacks the reddish vent and differs in posture and behaviour apart from being larger. In flight it bears some resemblance to thrushes and redstarts. It feeds on insects, captured mainly on the ground. It was formerly placed as the sole species in the genus Cercomela but is now included with the wheatears in the genus Oenanthe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Familiar chat</span> Species of bird

The familiar chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is a common resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara in rocky and mountainous habitat and around human habitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tractrac chat</span> Species of bird

The tractrac chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is a common resident breeder in southernmost Angola, western Namibia and western South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karoo chat</span> Species of bird

The Karoo chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is a common resident breeder in southwesternmost Angola, western Namibia and western South Africa. Its habitat is Karoo and desert scrub in the south, extending to the escarpment zone in the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sickle-winged chat</span> Species of bird

The sickle-winged chat or sicklewing chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae endemic to southern Africa. It is a common resident breeder in South Africa and Lesotho, and is also found in southernmost areas of Botswana and Namibia. Its habitat is Karoo scrub, short grassland, and barren sandy or stony areas. In western coastal areas, it also occurs on agricultural land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorland chat</span> Species of bird

The moorland chat, also known as the alpine chat or hill chat, is a species of songbird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is endemic to north-east Africa where it is common in its habitat. It lives at high altitudes on moors and grassland, usually above 3,400 m (11,100 ft), but can live as low as 2,100 m (6,900 ft). It has a short tail and long legs. It is bold and will approach people.

The sombre rock chat is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is native to montane desert of central Ethiopia and possibly far-western Somalia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

The brown-tailed rock chat is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-fronted black chat</span> Species of bird

The white-fronted black chat is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is native to the Sudan (region). Its natural habitats are moist savanna and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

<i>Emarginata</i> Genus of birds

Emarginata is a genus of birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that occur in southern Africa.

References

  1. "Muscicapidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  2. Mayr, Ernst; Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, eds. (1960). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 10. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 121.
  3. Vieillot, Louis Pierre (1883) [1816]. Saunders, Howard (ed.). Vieillot's Analyse d'une nouvelle ornithologie élémentaire (in French). London. p. 43.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. 1 2 Outlaw, R.K.; Voelker, G.; Bowie, R.C.K. (2010). "Shall we chat? Evolutionary relationships in the genus Cercomela (Muscicapidae) and its relation to Oenanthe reveals extensive polyphyly among chats distributed in Africa, India and the Palearctic". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 55 (1): 284–292. Bibcode:2010MolPE..55..284O. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.09.023. PMID   19772925.
  5. Aliabadian, M.; Kaboli, M.; Förschler, M.I.; Nijman, V.; Chamani, A.; Tillier, A.; Prodon, R.; Pasquet, E.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Zuccon, D. (2012). "Convergent evolution of morphological and ecological traits in the open-habitat chat complex (Aves, Muscicapidae: Saxicolinae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 65 (1): 35–45. Bibcode:2012MolPE..65...35A. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.05.011. PMID   22634240.
  6. Sangster, George; Collinson, J. Martin; Crochet, Pierre-André; Knox, Alan G.; Parkin, David T.; Votier, Stephen C. (2013). "Taxonomic recommendations for Western Palearctic birds: ninth report". Ibis. 155 (4): 898–907 [903]. doi: 10.1111/ibi.12091 .
  7. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 280. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  8. "Wheatear". Merriam Webster Online. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  9. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2023). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". IOC World Bird List Version 13.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  10. 1 2 Kessler, E. 2013. Neogene songbirds (Aves, Passeriformes) from Hungary. – Hantkeniana, Budapest, 2013, 8: 37–149.