Photo: Lip Kee Yap / CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Isabelline Wheatear
Oenanthe isabellina
Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 19 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 29.4 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Muscicapidae Chats, Old World Flycatchers
- Genus Oenanthe
- Species isabellina
Where it lives
Ukraine to Mongolia and northern China and south to Israel, Iran and Pakistan
Quick facts
- Weight
- 29.4 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Isabelline Wheatear is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of open scrub and shrubland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Isabelline Wheatear is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina) is a member of the Muscicapidae family, within the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL Ukraine to Mongolia and n China and s to Israel, Iran and Pakistan.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 29.4 g, with a wing length of about 9.7 cm and a tail of around 5.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 11.7 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Isabelline Wheatear?
The Isabelline Wheatear is a small bird that weighs around 29.4 g.
Where does the Isabelline Wheatear live?
The Isabelline Wheatear is found across Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL Ukraine to Mongolia and n China and s to Israel, Iran and Pakistan, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Isabelline Wheatear belong to?
The Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Isabelline Wheatear eat?
The Isabelline Wheatear is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Isabelline Wheatear migrate?
The Isabelline Wheatear is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Isabelline Wheatear endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Isabelline Wheatear make?
1 real field recording of the Isabelline Wheatear — including its alarm call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Isabelline Wheatear's range?
The Isabelline Wheatear has a mapped global range of about 11.7 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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