Western Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Western Black-eared Wheatear

Oenanthe hispanica (Linnaeus, 1758)

15 gWeight

The western black-eared wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica) 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 (family Muscicapidae).

Busiest months: April · Most records: Spain, Morocco, Portugal

Where and when it's recorded

Western Black-eared Wheatear has been recorded at 157 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 17 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Laguna de Pitillas RN – AreaSpain346 records
  2. Desembocadura del Guadalhorce – ÁreaSpain198 records
  3. PN Sous-Massa – Estuaire de l'Oued MassaMorocco157 records
More places
  1. Monfragüe PNSpain154 records
  2. ZPE Castro Verde – área geralPortugal130 records
  3. La Janda – ÁreaSpain74 records
  4. Oued Massa – champs d'AghorimzeMorocco66 records
  5. Cap GhirMorocco62 records
  6. Isola di VentoteneItaly60 records
  7. Erg Chebbi – nordMorocco56 records

Countries and regions with the most records

SpainMoroccoPortugalItalyTunisiaWestern SaharaSenegalAlgeria

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 western black-eared wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica) 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 (family Muscicapidae). It was formerly (and still is by some authorities) considered conspecific with the eastern black-eared wheatear.

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

Questions

How big is the Western Black-eared Wheatear?

The Western Black-eared Wheatear weighs around 15 g.

Where does the Western Black-eared Wheatear live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: southwestern, south-central Europe and northwestern Africa. It is most often recorded in Spain, Morocco and Portugal.

When is the best time to see the Western Black-eared Wheatear?

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

What does the Western Black-eared Wheatear eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Western Black-eared Wheatear in?

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

At a glance

Weight
15 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Migratory
More measurements
Wing
88 mm
Tail
60 mm
Bill
17 mm
Tarsus
22 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: southwestern, south-central Europe and northwestern 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 desertiPied WheatearPied WheatearOenanthe pleschankaEastern Black-eared WheatearEastern Black-eared WheatearOenanthe melanoleucaCyprus WheatearCyprus WheatearOenanthe cypriaca
Western Black-eared Wheatear

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Carlos N. G. Bocos. ↗

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