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Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) — photo 1 of 5
© Zeynel Cebeci CC BY-SA 4.0

Flycatchers and chats · Perching birds

Northern Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

Voice

Song

Jochem verweij

0:12

Song

Jochem verweij

2:00

Song

Jochem verweij

0:09

How to recognize it

  • Small, slim chat-like shape; male with grey upperparts and buff breast

  • Black eye-mask with white stripe above

  • White tail with a black inverted T at the tip

  • In flight, the black-and-white tail pattern stands out

About the species

The Northern Wheatear is a small, lively companion of open stony ground. In flight, the black-and-white tail pattern is especially easy to remember, and breeding males also look sharper and more contrasted in spring and summer.

It is alert and quick, often making short hops and darting moves. Its call is a thin whistle, and it also gives chirping and scratchy sounds; during nesting, the male may sing from nearby and make brief song-flights.

It favours mountains and other open rocky places, where it nests in cracks among rocks or other sheltered cavities. It feeds mainly on insects, with berries added in autumn, and spends the winter in Africa.

Did you know?

  • Even under railway sleepers

    The Northern Wheatear isn't picky about a nest site: it tucks one into piles of stones, rock crevices, abandoned rodent burrows, and even under railway sleepers.

  • 70% gone from Britain since 1967

    Between 1967 and 2005 the Northern Wheatear collapsed by 70% or more across the British Isles, one of the steepest declines of any British breeding bird.

  • Longest sea-crossing of any songbird

    Northern Wheatears breeding in Greenland and northeast Canada cross 2,500–4,000 km of Atlantic to reach Africa — probably the longest sea-crossing of any passerine.

Where to find

  • On rubble-strewn lots, rocky embankments, and dry patches with sparse grass — it runs in short bursts on the ground, then pops up onto a post or boulder.

  • Along old stone walls, bridges, and quay edges with cracks and gaps — notice it when it darts out and lands on a ledge nearby.

  • On open margins of parks with bare soil and small piles of stone — look for the flash of a white rump as it drops to the ground to catch insects.

  • By riverbanks and canal sides with pebbles and little cover — the male often sings from a rock or low fence.

You might also see

Sources