Northern Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyMuscicapidae (Papamosques del Vell Món)
- GenusOenanthe (Wheatears and Allies)
- SpeciesOenanthe oenanthe (Northern Wheatear)
The northern wheatear or wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is the most widespread member of the wheatear genus Oenanthe in Europe and North and Central Asia. The northern wheatear is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in open stony country in Europe and east across the Palearctic with footholds in northeastern Canada and Greenland as well as in northwestern Canada and Alaska. It nests in rock crevices and rabbit burrows. All birds spend most of their winter in Africa. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Wheatear sighting in Meru National Park, based on 16 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Meru National Park
Pied Wheatear
Oenanthe pleschanka
Isabelline Wheatear
Oenanthe isabellina
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striata
Southern Black Flycatcher
Melaenornis pammelaina
White-browed Scrub Robin
Erythropygia leucophrys
Redcap Robinchat
Cossypha natalensis
Ashy Alseonax
Muscicapa caerulescens
Spotted Morning-Thrush
Cichladusa guttata
Thrush Nightingale
Luscinia luscinia
Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush
Monticola saxatilis
Pale Flycatcher
Bradornis pallidus
Common Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchos
📅 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 Northern Wheatear in Meru National Park?
About 14% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Wheatear sighting in Meru National Park, based on 16 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Northern Wheatear in Meru National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Northern Wheatear in Meru National Park in our monthly data.