Cyprus Wheatear (Oenanthe cypriaca)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Cyprus Wheatear

Oenanthe cypriaca (Homeyer, 1885)

14–15 cmLength17 gWeight

The Cyprus wheatear or Cyprus pied wheatear (Oenanthe cypriaca) is a small, 14–15 cm long 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.

Busiest months: March · Most records: Cyprus, Türkiye, Israel

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Cyprus Wheatear has been recorded at 22 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 7 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Agia VarvaraCyprus181 records
  2. IBA Göksu DeltasıTürkiye66 records
  3. Hatzuk Beach TLVIsrael46 records
More places
  1. Milleyha ve sahil şeridiTürkiye45 records
  2. Paphos HeadlandCyprus43 records
  3. Mandria – CoastCyprus26 records
  4. Akrotiri MarshCyprus21 records
  5. Eilat – KM20 Flamingo Pools 20Israel14 records
  6. Tuzla GölüTürkiye5 records
  7. Azraq Wetland ReserveJordan4 records

Countries and regions with the most records

CyprusTürkiyeIsraelPalestinian TerritoriesJordanEthiopiaLebanon

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

It was formerly treated as a subspecies (race) of pied wheatear but Sluys and van den Berg (1982) argued that the form deserved full species status, on the basis of differences in biometrics and especially song, and the lack of sexual plumage dimorphism in cypriaca.

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

Questions

How big is the Cyprus Wheatear?

The Cyprus Wheatear is about 14–15 cm long and weighs around 17 g.

Where does the Cyprus Wheatear live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: Cyprus. It is most often recorded in Cyprus, Türkiye and Israel.

When is the best time to see the Cyprus Wheatear?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in March (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Cyprus Wheatear endangered?

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

What does the Cyprus Wheatear eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Cyprus Wheatear in?

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

At a glance

Length
14–15 cm
Weight
17 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Migratory
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
83 mm
Tail
56 mm
Bill
15 mm
Tarsus
21 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: Cyprus

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
Cyprus 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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