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 →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Isabelline Wheatear sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park, based on 32 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Lake Nakuru National Park
Abyssinian Wheatear
Oenanthe lugubris
Northern Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
Pied Wheatear
Oenanthe pleschanka
Capped Wheatear
Oenanthe pileata
Northern Anteater-Chat
Myrmecocichla aethiops
White-browed Robin-Chat
Cossypha heuglini
White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher
Dioptrornis fischeri
Little Rock-Thrush
Monticola rufocinereus
African Gray Flycatcher
Bradornis microrhynchus
Pale Flycatcher
Bradornis pallidus
Rüppell's Robin-Chat
Cossypha semirufa
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetra
📅 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 Lake Nakuru National Park?
About 3% of wildlife watchers report a Isabelline Wheatear sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park, based on 32 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Isabelline Wheatear in Lake Nakuru National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Isabelline Wheatear in Lake Nakuru National Park in our monthly data.