Pied Wheatear

About the Pied Wheatear

The pied wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka) is a wheatear, a small insectivorous 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 (family Muscicapidae). This migratory central Asiatic wheatear occurs from the extreme southeast of Europe to China, and has been found wintering in India and northeastern Africa. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. The male is a boldly marked white-and-black bird. The white crown tinged with brown contrasts with the black face and throat and white rump. The female is browner, and the head is washed with sandy buff. Females are darker than the females of the northern wheatear, look smaller and show less white on the rump.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name

Oenanthe pleschanka

Family

Old World Flycatchers

Order

Passeriformes

Similar species

Other members of the old world flycatchers family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

• Amur Stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri
• Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica
• Blue Rock-Thrush Monticola solitarius
• Bluethroat Luscinia svecica
• Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus
• Dark-sided Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica
• European Robin Erithacus rubecula
• Gray-streaked Flycatcher Muscicapa griseisticta
• Mugimaki Flycatcher Ficedula mugimaki
• Narcissus Flycatcher Ficedula narcissina
• Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
• Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus