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Photo by RedBishop
Photo taken: Israel, Western Negev

Oenanthe lugens

Includes Western Mourning Wheatear = Maghreb Wheatear

[edit] Identification

Male: Black throat and sides of head connects with black in wings and on mantle. Underside and uppersides mostly pale, buffy; undertail coverts darker buff than belly. Tail with dark central feathers and dark terminal band on rest of tail is equal width.
Female: like male in most subspecies, but typically much less strongly marked in subspecies halophila.

[edit] Variation

A black morph (Basalt Wheatear) exists in southern Syria and Jordan which only shows white on undertail coverts, tail, possibly rearmost uppertail coverts.

[edit] Similar species

Pied Wheatear

[edit] Distribution

Africa and Middle East

[edit] Taxonomy

Three subspecies recognized:

• O. l. lugens from Egypt to Israel, Syria, Jordan and Iraq
• O. l. persica from S Iran
• O. l. halophila from Morocco to Libya and NW Egypt

Halophila is sometimes split as Western Mourning Wheatear = Maghreb Wheatear. A recent study proposes splitting of O. l. persica.
Abyssinian Wheatear was considered conspecific with this species.

Basalt Wheatear is usually seen as a morph of subspecies lugens, but may deserve status as at least a subspecies

[edit] Habitat

Flat to very steep terrain mostly with boulders and with limited vegetation.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] References

1. Birdforum thread discussing Mourning Wheatear

[edit] External Links