BTO BirdFacts | Wheatear

Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe [Linnaeus, 1758]

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Page updated:16-January-2013

	Order: Passeriformes	Family: Turdidae
	BTO Codes: W., WHEAT	EURING No: 11460
	Number in Britain: 540 thousand individuals (Summer)
	Conservation Status:
	UK: AMBER
	European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Declining
	Global: (Details)
Links to: Images Videos Sound
Tips on Identification

Status in UK: (A) Migrant Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies: oenanthe (BW), leucorhoa (P) recorded in Britain (of 4 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 15 cm	Wingspan: 29 cm	Weight: M/F: 24 g

Scientific name from:	Gr.: oinanthe a bird mentioned by Aristotle
World Distribution:	BREEDS: Eurasia, nw Africa, n North America, Winters Africa

Habitat:	Open country
Diet:	Mostly insects, also other invertebrates and berries
TitBit:	As the ice retreated northwards after the last ice-age, the breeding grounds of this migrant (and others) shifted northwards, the birds migrating back to Africa, even those that now breed in Alaska.

Population and Distribution

	Population Trend:	BirdTrends
	Regional Trends:	Scotland Wales England English Regions
	Distribution:	Atlas Maps BBS Maps

British Population Size:

Summer: 530 to 550 thousand individuals in 2000 Gillings, S & Newson, S (2007) British Birds 100:179-180

First Record: Recorded in Medieval times Bircham, P. 2007. A history of ornithology, Collins. [805 BIR]

[Fossil evidence from Ipswichian (last) interglacial, c. 125,000 yr ago]

Results from most recent national breeding survey

Latest Survey: Gillings, S & Newson, S (2007) British Birds 100:179-180

Conservation Status: AMBER because Species of European Concern, Eaton, M.A. et al. 2009. British Birds 102:296-341

Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 GREEN Gregory, R.D. et al. 2002. British Birds 95:410-448

1996-2001 GREEN Gibbons, D.W. et al. 1996. RSPB Conservation Review 10:7-18

Races of Concern: oenanthe AMBER (European Concern), leucorhoa GREEN

Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):

Most frequent in: Moorland

And found in: Grass/Heath

Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:

Migration routes: Map of foreign ringing recoveries

Average Day of First Arrival: 11 Mar Loxton, D. & Sparks, T. 2001. Arrival of spring migrants at Portland, Skokholm, Bardsey and Calf of Man. Bardsey Obervatory Report.

Loxton, D. & Sparks, T. 2001. Arrival of spring migrants at Portland, Skokholm, Bardsey and Calf of Man. Bardsey Obervatory Report.

European Population Size:

Summer: 4.1 to 11.5 million pairs (Trend in Numbers) Bufield, I. & Van Bommel, F. (2004) Birds in Europe. Birdlife International, Cambridge.

Population Assesment from Birds in Europe

Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas

Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: Bern(III), Bonn(II)

Survey Results:	Results from BirdTrack

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 21 x 16 mm

Egg Weight: 2.7 g (of which 5 % is shell)

Number of Nest Records: 94 (more would be welcome!)

Clutch Size: 5 - 6 eggs

5.45 ± 0.87 (2 - 8) N = 470 British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data

Incubation: 14 days

14.25 ± 0.99 (12.5 - 16.5) N = 470

by the: Female (occ. Male)

Fledging: 16 - 17days

15.54 ± 1.08 (13 - 16.5) N = 2140

as: Altricial, downy Altricial birds remain in the nest, precocial birds leave the nest soon after hatching

Source:

British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data

First Clutches Laid: 11 May (24 Apr - 11 Jun) Joys & Crick 2004 Breeding periods for bird species in England BTO, Thetford

Number of Broods: 2(3)

See trends in Breeding Productivity

Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.460 (M:0.500 ± 0.020; F:0.420 ± 0.020)
Juvenile Survival: No data

Age at First Breeding: 1 year	Typical Lifespan: 2 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 8 years 3 months 16 days (set in 2010)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics
Ring Size: A (pulli B)
Wing Length	Adult:	100.0 ± 4.7 Range 81.0 - 116.5 mm, (N = 3168)
	Juvenile:	97.6 ± 4.3 Range 76.0 - 117.0 mm, (N = 4458)
	Male:	101.5 ± 4.5 Range 81.0 - 116.5 mm, (N = 1600)
	Female:	98.5 ± 4.4 Range 83.0 - 115.0 mm, (N = 1533)

Weight	Adult:	28.33 ± 5.17 Range 14.20 - 46.30 g , (N =3014)
	Juvenile:	25.1 ± 2.8 Range 14.4 - 40.1 . , (N =4182)
	Male:	28.96 ± 5.45 Range 16.20 - 46.20 g , (N =1524)
	Female:	27.69 ± 4.76 Range 14.80 - 46.30 g , (N =1456)
	Seasonal:	Summer 29.11 ± 5.82 (N = 3352) Autumn 26.82 ± 3.86 (N = 533)
	Source:	British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names
Northern Wheatear


Gaelic: Brù-gheal	Welsh: Tinwen y Garn
Danish: Stenpikker	Dutch: Tapuit
Finnish: Kivitasku	French: Traquet motteux
German: Steinschmätzer	Hungarian: Hantmadár
Icelandic: Steindepill	Irish: Clochrán
Italian: Culbianco	Norwegian: Steinskvett
Polish: Bialorzytka zwyczajna	Portuguese: Chasco-cinzento
Spanish: Collalba gris	Swedish: Stenskvätta

Local Names:White Arse

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Conder, P. 1989 The wheatear Christopher Helm, London [598.911 CON]
Panov, E.N. 2005 Wheatears of Palearctic [sic] Pensoft Publishers [598.911 PAN]

See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Details from the Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead

Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe [Linnaeus, 1758]

Population and Distribution

Breeding and Survival

Biometrics

Other Names

For More Information...

BirdFacts