Abyssinian Wheatear
Oenanthe lugubris
A dark wheatear in which males and females are very different. Males are black above with a dark-streaked gray cap. There is individual and geographical variation in belly color, which can be either black or white. Females have a dark brown back and heavily streaked paler underparts. Both sexes have a buff undertail and a black-and-buff tail with a “T” pattern that is conspicuous in flight. Found in rocky areas with some trees and shrubs. White-bellied males can resemble other wheatears, but are distinguished by their black-and-buff tail. The song is a long, musical jumble of whistles and chatty notes.
Identification
The Abyssinian wheatear is a dark wheatear which shows sexual dichromatism, with the males being darker than the females. The males have black upperparts, throat and breast and a grey cap with darker streaks. The colour of the belly varies, both within individuals and geographic populations, from white to black. The females are mainly dark brown with heavy streaking on their paler breast and belly. Both males and females have buff under tail coverts, and the tail has a black inverted T pattern on a buff background, best seen in flight. The length of the nominate subspecies is 14 cm (5.5 in).<p>The three subspecies of Abyssinian wheatear vary as follows:
Taxonomy
The Abyssinian wheatear was first formally described in 1837 as Saxicola lugubris by the German naturalist and explorer Eduard Rüppell with its type locality given as "the rocky valleys of the Abyssinian province of Simien, and on the volcanic hills around Gondar" (Vorkommen in der felsigen Thälern der Abyssinischen provinz Simen, und auf der vulkanischen Hügeln um Gondar). It is regarded, by some authorities, as being the same species as the mourning wheatear (Oenanthe lugens) of Northern Africa and the Middle East but the I.O.C. regard it as a valid species. The Abyssinian wheatear is regarded as closely related to the Arabian wheatear (Oenanthe lugentoides), which has also been regarded as being the same species as the mourning wheatear. These species may form a species complex.<p>The I.O.C. recognises the following subspecies: <p>Schalow's wheatear (O. l. schalowi) from the highlands of southern Kenya and northeastern Tanzania is regarded as a valid species by some authorities but the I.O.C. has pended its endorsement of this position while it waits for the results of genetic studies to be published. O. l. vauriei is found in northeastern Somalia.
- Scientific name
- Oenanthe lugubris
- Authority
- (Rüppell, 1837)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Oenanthe
Range and habitat
The Abyssinian wheatear is found in northeastern Africa, from Eritrea and northwestern Somalia south to northeastern Tanzania. The subspecies schalowi occurs in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, while vauriei in eastern Somalia, and they both have disjunct ranges from the nominate subspecies of Eritrea, Ethiopia, and northwestern Somalia. This bird occurs in rocky areas where there are some trees and bushes.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Abyssinian wheatears are normally solitary outside their breeding season, and in the breeding season, they are typically encountered in pairs. They are generally unafraid of humans and perch in plain sight on rocks, boulders, and shrubs. They may be inactive and shelter during midday. Their diet is mainly invertebrates, caught by dropping on them from a perch or by foraging on the ground. They will also eat fruit, such as berries.<p>The Abyssinian wheatear breeds from the early spring to late summer (March to August) in Ethiopia and Eritrea, in April and May in Somalia, from April to July in the Kenyan Great Rift Valley, and in March in northern Tanzania. The males display by adopting an upright stance with their heads raised before hopping around the female with droopy, quivering wings, interrupted by quick chases of the female in flight. The female makes the nest in the form of a loose cup with a flat top of the grass and other plant material, lined with softer material such as moss or mammal hair. There may be a small platform of stones either at the entrance to the nest, under it, or around it. The nest is typically situated in a crevice or hole with a maximum depth of 45 cm (18 in). This may be among rocks, on cliffs, in stone walls, on the banks of a river, or side of a wadi. They are double-brooded, and each clutch is 5 to 6 eggs. The juveniles from the first brood have been recorded bringing food to the nestlings of the 2nd brood in Schalow's wheatear.<p>Abyssinian wheatears are largely resident, with some post-breeding dispersal. The subspecies vauriei disappears from its eastern Somali breeding areas from June to January and may migrate to lower altitudes when not breeding.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red-capped Cardinal
Paroaria gularis
Small, boldly colored tanager found in vegetation around lakes and rivers. Bright red head and black-and-white plumage are instantly recognizable. Quite social and often found in pairs or groups as they forage low in waterside vegetation. Frequently perches on branches sticking out of the water.
Giant Shrike
Lanius giganteus
A large and long-tailed shrike with dark gray upperparts, white underparts, a black mask, and white in the wing. The white patches in the black wings and tail are especially conspicuous in flight. Found at high elevations, in open habitats with stunted shrubs such as rhododendron. Descends to lower elevations during the winter. Often uses tall and exposed perches. Vocalizations include harsh rasping notes and more musical, liquid ones. Similar to Chinese Gray Shrike, but larger, with a darker gray back and no white eyebrow.
Chestnut-headed Chachalaca
Ortalis ruficeps
Slender, long-tailed, chickenlike bird that is often seen in small groups. Grayish-brown overall with a warmer chestnut head. At close range note the bare red throat patch and pinkish legs. Found in forest, second-growth woodlands, and river edges. Limited range in central Brazil, south of the Amazon river.. Somewhat similar to Spix’s and Marail Guans, but Chestnut-headed Chachalaca is much smaller and is unlikely to be in canopy of tall forest. Usually quiet, but groups call loudly to each other early in the morning; unmistakable call can be heard for more than a kilometer. Once considered conspecific with Variable Chachalaca, but Chestnut-headed is smaller and has a slower song.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.