Western or Eastern black-eared wheatear?? Greece (1 Viewer)

[MANOS_SKG]

Hello to everyone!

I see elements that point towards a Western black eared wheatear, but I am not as experienced with both species, so I need some advise from people that do. Not sure if bird 2 is the same individual. I found it 300m further, 1 hour later. Northern Greece - Halkidiki.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Brian J Small]

I am unsure if I have the necessary experience you ask for, but I will start the ball rolling.

No doubt this is an interesting bird and I understand your request for help. In some ways it has an apparently restricted black mask (above the eye) and upperpart hues more typical of Western Black-eared, but in others more indicative of Eastern - extent of black on neck sides, plus slight grey-brown hue on crown and scapulars. It also opens an interesting debate as the whether some birds in Greece are a mix of both.

There are a handful of images of 2cy males on eBird from Greece of EBeW in which the sandy-ochre colour is similar to that of WBeW and which show a variability in mask shape and extent. Typical adult males have a lot of black on the the face - above bill/eye and extending back beyond ear coverts and lower onto throat; 2cy males are more likely to have less black visible as it is hidden by pale fringes to these feathers.

ML438871011 Eastern Black-eared Wheatear Macaulay Library - narrow mask
ML327991191 Eastern Black-eared Wheatear Macaulay Library - similar but a little more typical
ML341967881 Eastern Black-eared Wheatear Macaulay Library - a 2cy male similar to yours

However, I feel that the upperpart colour of the above birds differs subtly from WBeW which has a slightly brighter orange-ginger hue; also, the extension of black onto the neck side shown by yours is odd for WBeW.

eBird WBeW from Spain
ML327518221 Western Black-eared Wheatear Macaulay Library
ML152971811 Western Black-eared Wheatear Macaulay Library - bright 2cy male

If we accept that all birds from Greece are EBeW then your fits in with that variability.

Brian

 

[MANOS_SKG]

I am unsure if I have the necessary experience you ask for, but I will start the ball rolling.

No doubt this is an interesting bird and I understand your request for help. In some ways it has an apparently restricted black mask (above the eye) and upperpart hues more typical of Western Black-eared, but in others more indicative of Eastern - extent of black on neck sides, plus slight grey-brown hue on crown and scapulars. It also opens an interesting debate as the whether some birds in Greece are a mix of both.

There are a handful of images of 2cy males on eBird from Greece of EBeW in which the sandy-ochre colour is similar to that of WBeW and which show a variability in mask shape and extent. Typical adult males have a lot of black on the the face - above bill/eye and extending back beyond ear coverts and lower onto throat; 2cy males are more likely to have less black visible as it is hidden by pale fringes to these feathers.

ML438871011 Eastern Black-eared Wheatear Macaulay Library - narrow mask
ML327991191 Eastern Black-eared Wheatear Macaulay Library - similar but a little more typical
ML341967881 Eastern Black-eared Wheatear Macaulay Library - a 2cy male similar to yours

However, I feel that the upperpart colour of the above birds differs subtly from WBeW which has a slightly brighter orange-ginger hue; also, the extension of black onto the neck side shown by yours is odd for WBeW.

eBird WBeW from Spain
ML327518221 Western Black-eared Wheatear Macaulay Library
ML152971811 Western Black-eared Wheatear Macaulay Library - bright 2cy male

If we accept that all birds from Greece are EBeW then your fits in with that variability.

Brian

Thanks a LOT! What I more or less expected TBH. It is indeed difficult to ID such birds, especially at this time of the year. It is however indeed possible to once stumble across a WBeW vagrant, which we will never be able to understand in Greece under the circumstances . Well, always worth cross checking I guess. Let's see if we have any other opinions and then I'll add this in the 'file'.

 

[NIKOSS]

2cy spring males with limited black on lores or eyebrows are not rare on Crete either... Till more differentiation features are suggested/verified, I guess we can only hope for safe id of birds in hand (measurements, song, ringing)... CRETE Birdwatching