Isabelline Wheatear
Oenanthe isabellina
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyMuscicapidae (Papamosques del Vell Món)
- GenusOenanthe (Wheatears and Allies)
- SpeciesOenanthe isabellina (Isabelline Wheatear)
The isabelline wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina) is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher in the family Muscicapidae. It is a migratory insectivorous bird. Its habitat is steppe and open countryside and it breeds in southern Russia and Central Asia to northern Pakistan, wintering in Africa and northwestern India. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. In colouring it resembles a female northern wheatear but it is larger at 15–16.5 centimetres (5.9–6.5 in) in length, more upright and more tawny in colour, and has more black on its tail. The term isabelline refers to the parchment-like colouration. Wikipedia →
30–40% of wildlife watchers report a Isabelline Wheatear sighting in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, based on 404 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park
Desert Wheatear
Oenanthe deserti
Pied Wheatear
Oenanthe pleschanka
Northern Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush
Monticola saxatilis
Taiga Flycatcher
Ficedula albicilla
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Muscicapa latirostris
Daurian Redstart
Phoenicurus auroreus
White-winged Redstart
Phoenicurus erythrogastrus
Dark-sided Flycatcher
Muscicapa sibirica
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striata
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Isabelline Wheatear in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park?
About 31% of wildlife watchers report a Isabelline Wheatear sighting in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, based on 404 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Isabelline Wheatear in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Isabelline Wheatear in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park in our monthly data.