600px Atlas logo
Home > BirdFacts > chats > Wheatear

For details point at or click the button; for sources point at the button
Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe   [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links
Order: Passeriformes Family: Turdidae
BTO Codes: W. , WHEAT EURING No: 11460
Number in Britain: 540 thousand individuals (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: GREEN
European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Declining
Global: Least Concern
View video clips from IBC

Status in UK: (A)  Migrant Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies: oenanthe (BW), leucorhoa (P) recorded in Britain (of 4 subsp. in the world)
.
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  
line
Population and Distribution
Population Trend: Wider Countryside Report
Regional Trends: Scotland   Wales   England   English Regions
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Help with the New Atlas)    BBS Maps
British Population Size:
    Summer: 530 to 550 thousand individuals in 2000
    First Record: 11th Century [Fossil evidence from Ipswichian (last) interglacial, c. 125,000 yr ago]
    Latest Survey: Gillings, S & Newson, S (2007) British Birds 100:179-180
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    Most frequent in: Moorland
    And found in: Grass/Heath
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
Average Day of First Arrival: 11 Mar
European Population Size:
    Summer: 4.1 to 11.5 million pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: Bern(III), Bonn(II)
Survey Results: BirdTrack
line
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
Incubation: 14 days 14.25 ± 0.99 (13 - 17) N = 470 by the: Female (occ. Male)
Fledging: 16 - 17 days 15.54 ± 1.08 (13 - 17) N = 2140 as: Altricial, downy
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid: 11 May (24 Apr - 11 Jun)
Number of Broods: 2(3)
Trends in Breeding Productivity

Number Ringed: 1544
Adult Survival: No data Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: No data
Maximum Recorded Age: 8yr0m   (Sweden: 9yr 1m)
line
Biometrics
Ring Size: A (pulli B)
Wing Length Adult: 99.9 ± 4.7 Range 93 - 107 mm, N =3168
Juvenile: 98.8 ± 4.2 93 - 106 mm, N =1256
Male: 101.3 ± 4.5 95 - 108 mm, N =1600
Female: 98.4 ± 4.4 92 - 105 mm, N =1533
Weight Adult: 28.20 ± 5.17 Range 22.10 - 38.80 g , N =3014
Juvenile: 25.37 ± 3.17 20.60 - 31.30 g , N =1138
Male: 28.89 ± 5.45 22.70 - 40.10 g , N =1524
Female: 27.52 ± 4.76 . 21.60 - 37.10 g , N =1456
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
line
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
line
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:
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Wikipedia entry
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com
Selected scientific papers published 1980-2005
Find more papers on Google Scholar
Find more papers on Scirus

BTO blue divider
BirdWeb logo, click to go to BirdWeb BirdFacts home | BTO Home
Email: birdfacts@bto.org

These data should be cited as:
Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.22, Oct 2008). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)

 

© British Trust for Ornithology,
The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK.
Terms and Conditions
| Privacy Statement
Registered Charity Number 216652.


Pages maintained by Iain Downie & Rob Robinson