Field Guide
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Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
Not yet photographed by the community
Smart summer visitor with bold white rump.
Species Profile
Amber List (declining UK breeding population)
- Lifespan
- 5–8 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 14–15 cm, wingspan 26–32 cm; 16–22 g
- Habitat
- Open, rocky moorland, heathland, and grassland with sparse vegetation and rocky outcrops or stone walls for nesting.
- UK Distribution
- Summer breeding visitor to upland areas of Scotland, northern England, Wales, and southwest England; arrives March–April and departs August–September. Rare or absent from lowland southern England.
- Diet
- Primarily insects and other invertebrates, including beetles, flies, grasshoppers, and spiders; also eats small berries in autumn.
- Prey
- Insects and invertebrates (beetles, flies, grasshoppers, spiders)
- Predators
- Merlin, kestrel, and other small raptors; corvids and foxes may take eggs and chicks
- Mating Season
- April to July
- Breeding
- Clutch of 5–6 pale blue-green eggs; incubation period 12–14 days; fledging at 14–15 days; typically one brood per season.
- Behaviour
- Males are highly territorial and perform distinctive bobbing displays with raised tails. They forage on the ground by running and pausing, often perching upright on rocks or posts. Males arrive at breeding grounds before females and establish territories vigorously.
- •The name 'wheatear' derives from Old English 'hwit ærs' meaning 'white arse', referring to the distinctive white rump patch visible in flight
- •Male wheatears have striking black-and-white faces in breeding plumage, with a bold white stripe above the eye
- •Some Greenland-breeding wheatears migrate over 9,000 miles annually to and from West Africa, one of the longest migrations of any songbird
- •They use the same breeding territory year after year, often returning within days of their previous season's departure
- •UK wheatear populations have declined significantly since the 1980s, likely due to changes in upland farming practices and climate-driven changes on African wintering grounds
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