Pied Wheatear
The Pied Wheatear is a wheatear, a small insectivorous passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae but it is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher in the family Muscicapidae.
The crown, nape and neck of the adult male are pale brown, the feathers having pale tips and white bases. The mantle and scapulars are black with buff tips to the feathers. The back, rump and upper tail coverts are creamy-white. The central pair of tail feathers are black with white bases but the rest are white with black tips, the outer pair having rather more black than the rest. There is a narrow buff-coloured line extending from the base of the beak to over the eye and the lores, ear coverts, chin, throat and upper breast are black. The rest of the breast is buff, the belly creamy-buff and the underwing coverts and axillaries are black tipped with white. The wing feathers are black with tips and edgings of creamy-buff. The adult female is similar to the male but the mantle and scapulars are brown with buff tips rather than black, the tail feathers are brown and white and the wing feathers brown with buff tips. The juvenile is similar to the female but the feathers of the brown upperparts have pale centres near the tips giving the bird a speckled appearance.
The Pied Wheatear breeds across much of Asia but it also breeds in Bulgaria and Romania at the western extreme of its range. It winters in north east Africa. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. In the breeding season, it is found in rough open country, steppes with scant vegetation, stony slopes, hilly country and mountains up to around 9800 feet. In its winter range, it is found in similar locations with rock, scree and on plains with thorny scrub.
The Pied Wheatear is a rather shy bird but it is conspicuous when spotted. It is not gregarious and single birds or pairs can be seen perched on a bush or rock, alert and looking around for prey. When it spots a prey item it swoops down to the ground briefly to pick it up before returning to its perch. Its diet consists of small invertebrates such as ants, grasshoppers, beetles, flies and moths, spiders and mites. Seeds are also eaten.
The Pied Wheatear nests in holes in a riverbank, under stones and rocks and in crevices. The nest is made from dried grass stems and lined with slender roots and a few downy feathers. The female lays 4 to 6 eggs and there is normally a single brood.
The Pied Wheatear has a wide range across east Europe and Asia and it is common across that range. The population is believed to be stable with no particular threats and the IUCN in their Red List has evaluated it as being of "Least Concern".
Date: 18th May 2018
Location: Nos Kaliakra, Dobrich Province, Bulgaria
The crown, nape and neck of the adult male are pale brown, the feathers having pale tips and white bases. The mantle and scapulars are black with buff tips to the feathers. The back, rump and upper tail coverts are creamy-white. The central pair of tail feathers are black with white bases but the rest are white with black tips, the outer pair having rather more black than the rest. There is a narrow buff-coloured line extending from the base of the beak to over the eye and the lores, ear coverts, chin, throat and upper breast are black. The rest of the breast is buff, the belly creamy-buff and the underwing coverts and axillaries are black tipped with white. The wing feathers are black with tips and edgings of creamy-buff. The adult female is similar to the male but the mantle and scapulars are brown with buff tips rather than black, the tail feathers are brown and white and the wing feathers brown with buff tips. The juvenile is similar to the female but the feathers of the brown upperparts have pale centres near the tips giving the bird a speckled appearance.
The Pied Wheatear breeds across much of Asia but it also breeds in Bulgaria and Romania at the western extreme of its range. It winters in north east Africa. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. In the breeding season, it is found in rough open country, steppes with scant vegetation, stony slopes, hilly country and mountains up to around 9800 feet. In its winter range, it is found in similar locations with rock, scree and on plains with thorny scrub.
The Pied Wheatear is a rather shy bird but it is conspicuous when spotted. It is not gregarious and single birds or pairs can be seen perched on a bush or rock, alert and looking around for prey. When it spots a prey item it swoops down to the ground briefly to pick it up before returning to its perch. Its diet consists of small invertebrates such as ants, grasshoppers, beetles, flies and moths, spiders and mites. Seeds are also eaten.
The Pied Wheatear nests in holes in a riverbank, under stones and rocks and in crevices. The nest is made from dried grass stems and lined with slender roots and a few downy feathers. The female lays 4 to 6 eggs and there is normally a single brood.
The Pied Wheatear has a wide range across east Europe and Asia and it is common across that range. The population is believed to be stable with no particular threats and the IUCN in their Red List has evaluated it as being of "Least Concern".
Date: 18th May 2018
Location: Nos Kaliakra, Dobrich Province, Bulgaria
|
Also in: Bulgaria
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |