Mourning Wheatear
A species of Wheatears Scientific name : Oenanthe lugens Genus : Wheatears
Mourning Wheatear, A species of Wheatears
Botanical name: Oenanthe lugens
Genus: Wheatears
Content
Description
Photo By Don Roberson
Description
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. The mourning wheatear was first described by Martin Lichtenstein in 1823. It is found in semi-desert areas in North Africa and the Middle East. It is sexually dimorphic with the females sporting more subtle plumage. An intriguing dark morph of the mourning wheatear (the so-called basalt wheatear) occurs in the basalt desert of northeast Jordan. The north African subspecies halophila, considered by some to be a separate species, western mourning wheatear, occurs from Morocco east to western Egypt. The Egyptian populations are discussed in Baha El Din and Baha El Din (2000). These birds differ from typical halophila in exhibiting less sexual dimorphism, and displaying a prominent white wingbar, and thus are closer to the nominate race. Panov (Wheatears of Palearctic, 2005) discusses the latest taxonomy for the mourning wheatear superspecies. The mourning wheatear is split from Abyssinian wheatear (Oenanthe lugubris), which is the species found south of the Sahara. It has been recorded in the following countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Size
16 cm
Feeding Habits
Mourning Wheatear predominantly feeds on ants, supplemented with beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies, and other insects, preferring prey under 1 cm. Nestlings also consume caterpillars, termites, and berries. Mourning Wheatear employs ground foraging and aerial hunting, maintaining individual winter feeding territories.
Habitat
The mourning Wheatear is typically found in arid desert habitats with features such as boulder-strewn terrains, limestone escarpments, rocky slopes, and ravines. These birds seek shelter in caves and inhabit valleys, plains with pebbles, and stony hills, often close to villages. They adapt well to regions with sparse low vegetation, incorporating bushes and some trees like acacias. The mourning Wheatear also occupies hilly areas in winter, favoring broken ground that provides shade and shelter.
Dite type
Insectivorous
Photo By Don Roberson
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Old world flycatchers Genus
Wheatears Species
Mourning Wheatear