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PLATE 101: WHEATEARS III
Mourning Wheatear Oenanthe lugens pm, wv
L: 13.5. Iranian subspecies persica (Eastern Mourning Wheatear) occurs Oman, UAE; similar lugens
occurs Near East/NW Saudi Arabia. Sexes similar; resembles stocky male Pied Wheatear when
perched, but undertail-coverts apricot (all ages); in flight shows prominent whitish wing-panel.
Compared with Pied Wheatear the black bib is smaller, underparts whiter (tinged buff in Pied),
primary coverts narrowly tipped white and black band on tail lacking the black extension up
the outer feathers of Pied. In autumn lacks the pronounced pale feather fringes to black throat
and mantle of male Pied. Voice Song a lively twitter; call check-check; alarm peet-peet. Habitat
Coastal and inland bluffs in desert and semi-desert in winter, sometimes near remote habitation.
Note Winter hatched, but scarce in Arabia.Arabian Wheatear Oenanthe lugentoides RB
L: 13.5. Resembles Eastern Mourning Wheatear (breeding ranges do not overlap) in having apricot/
rufous-buff undertail-coverts. Male Arabian has slightly more extensive black on throat, sides
of neck and back, narrower white rump-patch, less extensive white crown, often streaked grey
(sometimes crown grey with white sides); underparts below ‘bib’ as Eastern Mourning, but outer
tail feathers with a little more black. In flight, shows a small, but conspicuous white primary
patch (smaller than in Eastern Mourning; absent in other wheatears). Female charcoal- to grey-
brown above with warm orangey-brown ear-coverts (sometimes entire head); breast often diffusely
grey-streaked; lacks white primary patch of male, but primaries may appear silvery-grey at base.
Voice Song short, loud musical bubbling; also musical too-too. Calls chuck-a-doo (like stones
knocked together), Tree Sparrow-like tek-tek, rasping kaak often repeated and interspersed with
high-pitched seeek. Habitat Rocky hillsides, mountains with sparse vegetation, juniper scrub near
cultivation; usually 1000–2500m, occasionally down to sea level. Nests in hole in rocks, wall or
bank. Note Subspecies O. l. boscaweni occurs. [Alt: South Arabian Wheatear]Hume’s Wheatear Oenanthe albonigra RB
L: 16.5. Sexes alike. Closely resembles picata subspecies of Variable Wheatear, but larger, with
‘bull-headed’ appearance, velvety black plumage more glossy and white on back extending
farther up between wings, where border to black mantle is rounded (square-cut in Variable
Wheatear). Black throat has slight side extension thus less ‘bib-shaped’ than Variable Wheatear.
Underwing less contrasting, but tail pattern like Variable Wheatear. Juvenile like adult, but plumage
matt blackish-brown (with yellow gape line). Stance more upright than in Variable Wheatear;
prefers open rocky terrain, only rarely on plains or in more wooded areas. Often inquisitive, at other
times shy. On territory year-round, but sometimes descending from higher altitudes. Voice Loud,
melodious ringing song, a short lyrical jumble, recalling Whinchat. Ventriloquial. Call sharp, short
and high-pitched; alarm harsh and grating. Habitat Mountain slopes, foothills down to sea level and
boulder-strewn barren hills with scant vegetation; often on buildings or overhead wires. Nests in
hole in rock or scree. Note Winter dispersal hatched; vagrant Bahrain, Kuwait.Variable Wheatear Oenanthe picata PM, WV
L: 15. Three subspecies occur, but only picata likely to be seen in region, the other two (capistrata
and opistholeuca) being rare or vagrant to Iran. Subspecies picata (breeds Iran, winters south to UAE
and Oman): resembles small Hume’s Wheatear but more slender. Male has crown, upperparts
and ‘bib’ dark charcoal (matt, without gloss, unlike blacker Hume’s); rest of underparts white,
undertail-coverts sometimes buff in autumn. Female usually matt sooty-brown above where male
charcoal blackish, ‘bib’ often rufous-tinted but throat sometimes blackish; rest of underparts
creamy-buff to white. Perches low, in winter often in trees (like redstart) rather than on rocks.
Voice Song rather scratchy warble; mimetic. Ordinarily silent in winter. Habitat Barren, boulder-
strewn country; hillocks with sparse woody vegetation, steep riverbanks; in winter arid stony plains
with trees and outcrops, cultivation. Note Passage and winter hatched (subspecies picata), but
mostly scarce in Arabia; vagrant Saudi Arabia. [Alt: Eastern Pied Wheatear]