Heuglin's wheatear
Heuglin's wheatear | |
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Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Muscicapidae |
Genus: | Oenanthe |
Species: | O. heuglinii
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Binomial name | |
Oenanthe heuglinii | |
Synonyms | |
Oenanthe bottae heuglini |
Heuglin's wheatear (Oenanthe heuglinii) is a small passerine bird in the wheatear genus Oenanthe.
Description
It is 13-14 centimetres long. The adult has dark grey-brown upperparts, a black mask and a white stripe above the eye. The breast is orange-buff shading into the paler throat and belly. The tail is black apart from white sides to the basal half. The uppertail-coverts and undertail-coverts are white and the underwing-coverts are buff-pink.[3]
Voice
The
Distribution and habitat
Heuglin's wheatear inhabits the Sahel region from Mauritania eastwards through Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan to Eritrea. It extends south as far as northern parts of Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Uganda and north-west Kenya. It is found in open country with rocks and short grass and is often seen on burnt ground. Some birds are resident but others make migratory movements.[4]
Habits
Heuglin's wheatear feeds mainly on insects. It wags its tail and spreads its tail when displaying. Rather shy and in the breeding season usually seen in pairs, small groups recorded in winter.[3][4]
Taxonomy and naming
It was formerly classified as a
References
- . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
- ^ "Oenanthe heuglini (Finsch & Hartlaub, 1870)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (https://www.itis.gov). Retrieved 2016-11-27.
- ^ ISBN 0-7136-3959-8.
- ^ a b "Heuglin's Wheatear (Oenanthe heuglini)". HBW Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
- ISBN 978-1472905741.
- Sinclair, Ian & Ryan, Peter (2003) Birds of Africa south of the Sahara, Struik, Cape Town.
- Zimmerman, Dale A.; Turner, Donald A. & Pearson, David J. (1999) Birds of Kenya & Northern Tanzania, Christopher Helm, London.