Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Pied Wheatear
Oenanthe pleschanka
Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 20 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka) is a member of the Muscicapidae family found in Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 19.4 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 pleschanka
Where it lives
Romania and Ukraine to south-central Russia, Mongolia and central China
Quick facts
- Weight
- 19.4 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Grassland & open country
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Pied Wheatear is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of rocky terrain, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Pied Wheatear is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka) belongs to the Muscicapidae family of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL Romania and Ukraine to sc Russia, Mongolia and c China.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 19.4 g, with a wing length of about 9.3 cm and a tail of around 6 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 8.8 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Pied Wheatear?
The Pied Wheatear is a small bird that weighs around 19.4 g.
Where does the Pied Wheatear live?
The Pied Wheatear is found across Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL Romania and Ukraine to sc Russia, Mongolia and c China, where it favours open grassland, scrub and lightly vegetated country.
What family does the Pied Wheatear belong to?
The Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka) belongs to the Muscicapidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Pied Wheatear eat?
The Pied Wheatear is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Pied Wheatear migrate?
The Pied Wheatear is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Pied 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 Pied Wheatear make?
1 real field recording of the Pied Wheatear — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Pied Wheatear's range?
The Pied Wheatear has a mapped global range of about 8.8 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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