Northern wheatear / Steinschmätzer (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Steinschmätzer. 2022-06-04 13:44:40 Kaltbrunner-Riet

Observations

First documented observation: 2021-07-29 in Lej muragl. Most recent observation: 2022-06-04 in Kaltbrunner-Riet.

Description

Classification: Genus Wheatears (Oenanthe); Family Old world flycatchers (Muscicapidae)
Geography: This bird appears across the great seas in the following continents: Europe, North America, Africa, Asia.
General: I thought after seeing these at over 2700 meters that they must be a typical mountain bird (and in the FOK Zurich materials they were in the mountain section), however Wikipedia explains that such a stony landscape is the key, whether that is high or not:
Geography: 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. ... Miniature tracking devices have recently shown that the northern wheatear has one of the longest migratory flights known - 30,000 km (18,640 miles), from sub-Saharan Africa to their Arctic breeding grounds.[15] [Link]
Strangely the residence and migration maps differ greatly by source: in Wikipedia the northern wheatear spends winter in subsaharan Africa, while the authoratitive Kosmos-Vogelführer shows some in northern Africa like Morocco. Most other sources agree with Wikipedia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
General: Deutschland: Brut-, Zugvogel RL 1
Etymology: I thought the German name Steinschmätzer, presumably stone kisser (no one explains it, oddly enough) to be much more logical than the English northern wheatear. I was greatly amused to look it up and find it to be a 'folk etymology of "white" and "arse"' (Wikipedia).
Etymology: The genus name Oenanthe is derived from the Greek oenos (οίνος) "wine" and anthos (ανθός) "flower". It refers to the northern wheatear's return to Greece in the spring just as the grapevines blossom. [Link]
Appearance and identification: It has an evil-looking black eye stripe like the shrike. (I liked Nici Baiker's description of it in the FOK field ornithology course as 'Zorro look'.) I saw one flying on Muottas Muragl and thought the striking gray oval surrounded by dark feathers has to be typical and seems unique to the northern wheatear.
Geography: In den FOK Unterlagen werden die Zugrouten von Alaska und von nordosten Kanada gezeigt, die beide für Winter nach Afrika ziehen. Die aus Alaska fliegen über Asien unglaubliche 15000 Kilometer! Die in Kanada haben es auch nicht leicht, da sie zuerst über den Atlantik nach Spanien fliegen!
Behavior: Herbert Steffny schreibt auch jetzt Anfang Mai wo die Neuntöter aus Afrika zureuckgekehrt sind, muss man nicht früh aufstehen um sie zu beobachten, weil sie selber warten bis es warm genug ist für die (leckeren) Insekten aktiv zu werden! [Link]
Vocalization: Each phrase is often introduced by the "weet" sound, then followed by hastened, creaking, rattling and warbling sounds of 1-2 seconds duration. [Link]

Seasonal behavior

Presence: 03-23 - 10-27
Breeding: 05-10 - 08-09
Migration in: 03-23 - 05-31
Migration out: 08-09 - 10-27
More details at Vogelwarte.ch

Other Details

Physical details

Physical details: length=14-15 cm, wingspan=26-32 cm, weight=18-29 g
Habitats: Mountain

Similar species

Looks similar to: Red-backed shrike.

Vocalisation

Song: The Wheatear song consists of short phrases with marked pauses. Each phrase is often introduced by the "weet" sound, then followed by hastened, creaking, rattling and warbling sounds of 1-2 seconds duration. The "check" sound is also often included in the song. [Link]
General: I thought after seeing these at over 2700 meters that they must be a typical mountain bird (and in the FOK Zurich materials they were in the mountain section), however Wikipedia explains that such a stony landscape is the key, whether that is high or not:
Geography: 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. ... Miniature tracking devices have recently shown that the northern wheatear has one of the longest migratory flights known - 30,000 km (18,640 miles), from sub-Saharan Africa to their Arctic breeding grounds.[15] [Link]
Strangely the residence and migration maps differ greatly by source: in Wikipedia the northern wheatear spends winter in subsaharan Africa, while the authoratitive Kosmos-Vogelführer shows some in northern Africa like Morocco. Most other sources agree with Wikipedia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Song: Kurze, wechselvolle Strophe mit vielen unreinen Tönen. Meist von erhöhter Warte aus oder in kurzem Singflug vorgetragen. [Link]
The Wheatear song consists of short phrases with marked pauses. The "check" sound is also often included in the song. [Link] Song attributes: Melody: improvised melodic, fast, Frequency: 2-6 KHz Special sounds: rasp, rattle
XC730221 - Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe - song recorded in France, just 2-3 notes, then long pause. France ♫ Source: XENOCANTO XC730221 - Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe - song recorded in France, just 2-3 notes, then long pause.mp3 (song)


XC764932 - Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe - song recorded in Sweden with lots of whoops and swoops, about 2 seconds long, then 3-4 seconds pause. ♫ Source: XENOCANTO XC764932 - Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe - song recorded in Sweden with lots of whoops and swoops, about 2 seconds long, then 3-4 seconds pause.mp3 (song)


XC319898 - Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe - song recorded in Scotland and includes creaking or rattling mentioned at Nord U BirdID. Scotland ♫ Source: XENOCANTO XC319898 - Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe - song recorded in Scotland and includes creaking or rattling mentioned at Nord U BirdID.mp3 Scotland (song)


XC769228 - Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe - song recorded in the Netherlands. ♫ Source: XENOCANTO XC769228 - Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe - song recorded in the Netherlands.mp3 (song)