Heuglin's wheatear


Heuglin's wheatear is a small passerine bird in the wheatear genus Oenanthe.

Description

It is 13-14 centimetres long. The adult has dark grey-brown upperparts, a black mask and a white stripe above the eye. The breast is orange-buff shading into the paler throat and belly. The tail is black apart from white sides to the basal half. The uppertail-coverts and undertail-coverts are white and the underwing-coverts are buff-pink.

Voice

The song is long, complex and includes imitations and the call is a harsh chack.

Distribution and habitat

Heuglin's wheatear inhabits the Sahel region from Mauritania eastwards through Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan to Eritrea. It extends south as far as northern parts of Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Uganda and north-west Kenya. It is found in open country with rocks and short grass and is often seen on burnt ground. Some birds are resident but others make migratory movements.

Habits

Heuglin's wheatear feeds mainly on insects. It wags its tail and spreads its tail when displaying. Rather shy and in the breeding season usually seen in pairs, small groups recorded in winter.

Taxonomy and naming

It was formerly classified as a subspecies of red-breasted wheatear of the Ethiopian Highlands and Arabia but is now usually regarded as a separate species due to differences in size, habitat and behaviour. Its name honours the German explorer and ornithologist Theodor von Heuglin.