Flycatchers and chats · Perching birds
Pied Wheatear
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Oenanthe pleschanka
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Voice
Call
How to recognize it
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About 14 cm long
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Adult male: black face and throat, white rump; female and young browner
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Black inverted T-shaped marking on the white tail
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Perches on rocks, bobs tail up and down; harsh call "zack zack"
About the species
A male Pied Wheatear has a pale, faintly brown crown above a black face and throat, with black wings and a creamy-white rump. Its white tail carries a dark inverted-T marking that shows when it flicks. Females are browner, with sandy tones on the head, while juveniles have pale speckles across their upperparts.
Usually alone or in pairs, it perches on a rock or bush, alert, and bobs its tail up and down. A harsh "zack zack" call may give it away; when it spots prey, it drops briefly to the ground to pick it up, then returns to its perch. Males also sing a low, varied, musical song in early summer and again in August.
Look for it in open, stony country with sparse plants, including steppe, rocky slopes and hills. It eats insects such as beetles, flies and grasshoppers, along with some seeds. After breeding across Southeast Europe and western Asia, it migrates through Southwest Asia to winter in northeast Africa.
Where to find
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During the breeding season, on open stony slopes and sparsely vegetated steppe, look for a lone Pied Wheatear on a rock or bush, scanning its surroundings and bobbing its tail.
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Among rocky scree, watch for a quick drop from a perch to the ground for an insect, followed by a return to the perch.
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In early summer and again in August, listen for the male's low, musical song from a high rock perch or in flight.
