Mourning Wheatear
Oenanthe lugens
Rather large and powerful-looking for a wheatear. Sexes similar. Differs from Pied and Eastern Black-eared Wheatears by stronger bill, short wings, prominent white tail flash (visible only in flight), and and evenly broad black terminal tail band. Undertail coverts always buff or rusty. Feeds on arthropods on rocky slopes and in desert wadis; in winter descends to plains and valleys. Male sings a soft, flutey, and musical verse from a prominent rock or in flight.
Identification
The mourning wheatear (Oenanthe lugens) is a bird, one of 14 species of wheatear found in northern Africa and the Middle East. It is a small passerine in a group formerly classed as members of the thrush family Turdidae, but now more generally considered to be part of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae.
Taxonomy
Genus: Oenanthe; Family: Muscicapidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Oenanthe lugens
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Oenanthe
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Small leaf-green barbet, endemic to Java and Bali. Note bright sky-blue patches on face, shoulders, and undertail, as well as a bright yellow patch below each eye. Inhabits lowland and foothill forests, as well as forest edge. Like other barbets, can be difficult to see: listen for its song, an insect-like series of notes, given in groups of four. Also gives a high “whew’ew” and sharp pips.
Tibetan Snowfinch
Montifringilla henrici
Small brown finch of open highland steppes on the Tibetan plateau. Male has short but prominent black mustache and a dark bill. Female lacks the mustache, but has an orange bill and a pale white eyebrow stripe faintly resembling that of female and immature House Sparrows. Flashing white wing patches are only prominent when in flight. Confusingly, the Black-winged Snowfinch (Montifringilla adamsi) is occasionally referred to as the Tibetan Snowfinch in older field guides.
White-rumped Snowfinch
Onychostruthus taczanowskii
A frosty little finch with a black patch around the eye and bright white wing patches and tail edges. Forages in high-altitude meadows, pastures, and grasslands, as well as in towns and monasteries, around which it can often be quite tame. Frequently seen emerging from marmot or pika burrows where it builds its nests. Usually seen singly or in pairs.
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