Wheatears - birds of stony, rocky habitats.

THIS FEATURE ABOUT "WHEATEARS" WILL EVENTUALLY FORM PART OF A REVIEW CURRENTLY TITLED "GROUND FORAGERS" IN BIRDS BY COMMON NAME GROUPS. I HAVE INTRODUCED IT IN THIS WEBSITE FIRST BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT IT WILL BE OF INTEREST TO BIRDERS IN GENERAL.

My interest in Wheatears was boosted considerably during birding trips to Spain and Morocco when I was able to photograph several species.
The Wheatears are Passerine birds of the genus Oenanthe. They were formerly considered to be members of the Thrush family Turdidae but are now more commonly placed in the Flycatcher and Chat family, Muscicapidae.

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Although I understand the need for a classification system and the difficulties that placement of species sometimes poses, I prefer to present birds as interesting as this group with other birds that favour similar habitats.

What I like about these birds is the way in which various species have adapted to niches in a variety of habitats. They favour stony, semi-desert, rocky terrain or even mountainous hillsides and ravines. On one day in Morocco we saw six different species in a relatively small area. The images which follow highlight the habitats which these birds favour.

Most UK birders will be familiar with the Northern Wheatear (right). I have photographed this bird in the UK but the one I include here was photographed in Sierra de Gredos, Spain. An inconspicuous bird which forages for invertebrates on bare open ground.

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I was lucky to get images of Seebohm's Wheatear (left) which is a sub-species of the Northern Wheatear which is only found in Morocco and Algeria. This photograph was taken above the ski-lifts at Oukaimeden in Morocco.

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I photographed the Desert Wheatear (right) as we walked along the Tagdilt Track through the desert in Morocco.

When breeding this bird avoids pure sand desert but favours areas with scattered bushes, vegetation and rocks.

Also on the Tagdilt Track I found the Red-rumped Wheatear (below, left). This species also avoids pure sandy desert and spends much of its time on the stony ground.

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At Oued Massa in Morocco I found a juvenile Black-eared Wheatear (below, right). I also photographed this bird on a trip to Spain.

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Although this species favours open areas with scattered bushes and rocks it does show an affinity to water and is sometimes found along stream-sides.

The next three birds are usually found in rocky, mountainous areas:-

We searched a rocky hillside for about an hour before we finally found the Mourning Wheatear (below, left) at Amerzgane to the west of Ouarzazate in Morocco. This species usually breeds on steep slopes or ravines but sometimes chooses flat, areas with plenty of rocks and boulders.

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The White-crowned Wheatear (below, right) favours desolate, mountain deserts.

I photographed this on when we stayed overnight at the Auberge Derkaoua in Merzouga, Morocco.

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The Mountain Wheatear (below, right) also known as the Mountain Chat in South Africa.

I photographed it when we stayed at Kagga Kamma in August 2000. It flies restlessly from rock to rock.

Finally and staying with Africa the Isabelline Wheatear (below, right) was photographed in the Nakuru National Park in Kenya in 2009. This bird favours plains or slopes with short grass, with scattered boulders, in areas with a dry climate.

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