Bird Album
Black Wheatear
Oenanthe leucura (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
16–18 cmLength41 gWeight
The black wheatear (Oenanthe leucura) is a wheatear, a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.
Busiest months: March–April · Most records: Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara
Where and when it's recorded
Black Wheatear has been recorded at 47 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Casares – CastilloSpain779 records
- Vallée d'OukaïmedenMorocco637 records
- Sureste PNat – Laguna de El CampilloSpain445 records
More places
- ) | Gorges du TodraMorocco226 records
- Sureste PNat – Soto de las JuntasSpain194 records
- Tagdilt TrackMorocco90 records
- Barrage El Mansour Eddahbi – tadamreesht – domaine généraleMorocco67 records
- Décharge de BoumalneMorocco61 records
- Estuaire du Asif n'SrouMorocco48 records
- Cap GhirMorocco45 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 black wheatear (Oenanthe leucura) 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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Black Wheatear?
The Black Wheatear is about 16–18 cm long and weighs around 41 g.
Where does the Black Wheatear live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: southwestern, also northern Africa. It is most often recorded in Spain, Morocco and Western Sahara.
When is the best time to see the Black Wheatear?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in March and April (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Black Wheatear endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Black Wheatear as Least Concern.
What does the Black Wheatear eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Black Wheatear in?
It belongs to the family Chats, Old World Flycatchers (Muscicapidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 16–18 cm
- Weight
- 41 g
- Habitat
- Rocky terrain
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 97 mm
- Tail
- 67 mm
- Bill
- 22 mm
- Tarsus
- 27 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: southwestern, also northern 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 WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
Atlas WheatearOenanthe seebohmi
Capped WheatearOenanthe pileata
Buff-breasted WheatearOenanthe bottae
Rusty-breasted WheatearOenanthe frenata
Isabelline WheatearOenanthe isabellina
Heuglin's WheatearOenanthe heuglinii
Hooded WheatearOenanthe monacha
Desert WheatearOenanthe deserti
Western Black-eared WheatearOenanthe hispanica
Pied WheatearOenanthe pleschanka
Eastern Black-eared WheatearOenanthe melanoleuca
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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