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19

Red-tailed Wheatear (Oenanthe chrysopygia) Alternate name(s): "Rusty-tailed Wheatear", "Persian Wheatear", "Afghan Wheatear" Size: 14.5 cm; wing span 26-27 cm Weight: 20-27 g

Oman: Family Group 19 Family Group 19 Table Rufous Bush Robin Black Redstart Common Redstart Blue Rock Thrush Red-tailed Wheatear Isabelline Wheatear Desert Wheatear White-crowned Wheatear Hume's Wheatear Arabian Babbler Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Red-tailed Wheatears are robin-sized birds. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Red-tailed Wheatears have a white chin and frons/supercilia, with a black eye stripe in between that widens behind the eyes. The crown, mantle and upperwings are brownish-grey, with dark-grey flight feathers that have rufous edge lining. The vent, flanks and rump have a faint reddish hue. Females have light-grey to light brownish-grey front. The head and back are darker brownish-grey. They have some faint reddish hue on vent and undertail coverts. The uppertail of both sexes is dark-grey. The irises are black. The relatively long, straight and slender bill is dark-grey, as are legs and feet.

Taxonomy, classification See Red-tailed Wheatear at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information The Red-tailed Wheatear is no longer considered to be race "chrysopygia" of the Kurdistan Wheatear (Oenanthe xanthoprymna), but has now been given full species status.

Range, habitat Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Red-tailed Wheatear is available HERE . The breeding range of Red-tailed Wheatears encompasses mountain ranges from Anatolia in Asia Minor into south-western and central Asia (Turkistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan), northern Iraq and Iran and eastwards into Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western India.into , such as e.g. the highlands of Iran and Afghanistan. They spend the winters in Arabia and the eastern tip of Africa. In passage, they can be found in most areas in between. Red-tailed Wheatears are mostly found as winter visitors in northern Arabia, in particular in the UAE and Oman. both along the coastal fringe and in the mountain ranges. Red-tailed Wheatears have a preference for mountainous, stony and even barren country with few shrubs. During the winter they come closer to human settlements, e.g. around (fallow) agricultural land, quarries and ruins.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Usually a single, sometimes two, Red-tailed Wheatears were spotted by us on the Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, in December 2009. They are winter residents in a semi-arid, rock-strewn area with sparse acacia growth and were seen until February 2010. They are hard to approach in open country and will move to a different perch before one gets close.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Near-dorsal view of a (probably male) Red-tailed Wheatear looking back at the observer; note the prominent facial mask
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, December 2009]

Near-dorsal view of a (probably male) Red-tailed Wheatear looking sideways
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, December 2009]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a (probably female) Red-tailed Wheatear showing the characteristic orange-rufous undertail
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Lateral view of a (probably female) Red-tailed Wheatear
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Lateral view of a (probably female) Red-tailed Wheatear, slightly different posture
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Behaviour

Red-tailed Wheatears can sit on low perches for long times (we have seen them immobile for up to 20 minutes), scanning their surroundings to then occasionally take an insect and return to the perch. But when the area is considered safe, they also spend considerable amounts of time foraging on the ground.

Food, Diet

Like all other wheatears, Red-tailed Wheatears are insectivores. Most wheatears hunt for insects from low to mid-level perches.

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Fri, 26 May 2023, 5:54 +00:00