Abyssinian Wheatear (Oenanthe lugubris)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Abyssinian Wheatear

Oenanthe lugubris (Rüppell, 1837)

14 cmLength22 gWeight

The Abyssinian wheatear (Oenanthe lugubris), or Abyssinian black wheatear, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae, the Old World flycatchers and chats.

Busiest months: February, July and November · Most records: Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Abyssinian Wheatear has been recorded at 50 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 5 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ngorongoro CraterTanzania355 records
  2. Lake Nakuru NPKenya192 records
  3. Aga Khan University – Loilenok Hills and FieldsTanzania74 records
More places
  1. Engikaret Lark PlainsTanzania72 records
  2. Engikaret Lark Plains – Acacia Scrub to SouthTanzania51 records
  3. Lake Langano – Simbo LodgeEthiopia47 records
  4. Melka GhebduEthiopia44 records
  5. Lake NaivashaKenya39 records
  6. Lake Manyara NPTanzania30 records
  7. Hatari Lodge & Hippo PoolTanzania29 records

Countries and regions with the most records

TanzaniaKenyaEthiopiaSomaliaEritrea

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Abyssinian wheatear (Oenanthe lugubris), or Abyssinian black wheatear, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae, the Old World flycatchers and chats. It is found from Ethiopia to southern Kenya and north-eastern Tanzania.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Abyssinian Wheatear?

The Abyssinian Wheatear is about 14 cm long and weighs around 22 g.

Where does the Abyssinian Wheatear live?

Its breeding range: Africa: eastern Africa. It is most often recorded in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia.

When is the best time to see the Abyssinian Wheatear?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February, July and November (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Abyssinian Wheatear endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Abyssinian Wheatear as Least Concern.

What does the Abyssinian Wheatear eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Abyssinian Wheatear in?

It belongs to the family Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
14 cm
Weight
22 g
Habitat
Rocky terrain
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
80 mm
Tail
56 mm
Bill
17 mm
Tarsus
23 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: eastern Africa

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Chats, Old World Flycatchers Muscicapidae
Genus
Oenanthe

Other birds in the genus Oenanthe

Northern WheatearNorthern WheatearOenanthe oenantheAtlas WheatearAtlas WheatearOenanthe seebohmiCapped WheatearCapped WheatearOenanthe pileataBuff-breasted WheatearBuff-breasted WheatearOenanthe bottaeRusty-breasted WheatearRusty-breasted WheatearOenanthe frenataIsabelline WheatearIsabelline WheatearOenanthe isabellinaHeuglin's WheatearHeuglin's WheatearOenanthe heugliniiHooded WheatearHooded WheatearOenanthe monachaDesert WheatearDesert WheatearOenanthe desertiWestern Black-eared WheatearWestern Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanicaPied WheatearPied WheatearOenanthe pleschankaEastern Black-eared WheatearEastern Black-eared WheatearOenanthe melanoleuca
Abyssinian Wheatear

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗

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