White-crowned Wheatear - BirdForum Opus

Alternative name: White-crowned Wheatear or White-crowned Black Wheatear

Photo by Reini
Abu Simbel, Egypt

Oenanthe leucopyga

Identification

17-18 cm

• Black
• White crown
• White rump; tail is mostly white
  

Sexes alike
Juveniles lack the white crown

Distribution

Africa, Middle East and Asia:
Northern Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Western Sahara, Libya, Egypt
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegambia, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Chad
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia
Middle East: Turkey, Israel, Jordan
Arabian Peninsula: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran
Asia: Afghanistan

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

There are 3 subspecies:

• O. l. aegra:

• Rocky deserts of Mauritania to Tunisia

• O. l. leucopyga:

• Rocky deserts of Mali to Chad, Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia

• O. l. ernesti:

• Deserts of eastern Egypt to Dead Sea, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and south-western Iran

Habitat

Stony deserts.

Behaviour

Breeding

The clutch of 3-5 eggs are laid in rock or wall crevices.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-crowned Wheatear. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-crowned_Wheatear

External Links

Search for photos of White-crowned Wheatear in the gallery