Wheatear Question- Tajikistan 9/11/2024 (1 Viewer)

[JedSmith]

I had a wheatear that has recently been called into question through iNaturalist. My original ID, which I still stand by, was Isabelline wheatear. However, I had a suggested ID of pied wheatear. However, the white in the tail feathers seems too small, the wings seem too sandy colored, and the cap/head also seem too light. This is far from my area of expertise, so I am looking for outside input. Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Hi Jed, if you are certain it was a Wheatear, I'd consider a female Desert. I'm not sure you could exclude female Siberian stonechat from these images though...

 

[JedSmith]

Hi Jed, if you are certain it was a Wheatear, I'd consider a female Desert. I'm not sure you could exclude female Siberian stonechat from these images though...

Thanks for the reply Daniel. It was notably larger than the Siberian stonechats I encountered throughout the trip, so I feel confident in the wheatear ID. As for your ID of desert over Isabelline, could you elaborate on why? The slight dark eye-streak seems to still imply ISWH over DEWH, as well as the lack of black in the lesser, primary, and secondary covets. At least, that is what I seem to note while doing an image search in eBird.

Edit: also, worth noting, the habitat was high mountain valley bottom (~2000-2500 meters).

 

[dwatsonbirder]

I suppose I should have been a bit more explicit - I accept your points re. covert colour, but Isabelline should show white underwings, whereas this bird appears to have dark/greyish auxiliaries - I think if you can play with the contrast/exposure some of the features may be drawn out a bit more. The tail doesn't look right for Isabelline to me either - the contrast between the thick black bottom part of the inverted "T" should be more contrasting with the upper tail, whereas it looks more like a shadow effect. It's unclear if the bird was alone or seen with/near Stonechats, so I'd err caution if judging size of a lone bird.
I still think that Siberian Stonechat is the best fit, but trying to ID from photos vs 'feel' in the field is fraught with issues - I'd await other (more informed) opinions than mine!
Hope this helps explain my reasoning somewhat.

 

[kuzeycem]

This reads as a stonechat to me. Large head, quite prominent eye ring, apparently streaked crown and also a stonechat-like wing panel.

 

[Southern Frogmouth]

I suppose I should have been a bit more explicit - I accept your points re. covert colour, but Isabelline should show white underwings, whereas this bird appears to have dark/greyish auxiliaries - I think if you can play with the contrast/exposure some of the features may be drawn out a bit more. The tail doesn't look right for Isabelline to me either - the contrast between the thick black bottom part of the inverted "T" should be more contrasting with the upper tail, whereas it looks more like a shadow effect. It's unclear if the bird was alone or seen with/near Stonechats, so I'd err caution if judging size of a lone bird.
I still think that Siberian Stonechat is the best fit, but trying to ID from photos vs 'feel' in the field is fraught with issues - I'd await other (more informed) opinions than mine!
Hope this helps explain my reasoning somewhat.

I agree, it isn't an Isabelline Wheatear and looks like a female Siberian Stonechat. The head lacks the Isabelline Wheatear's black loral-stripe between the eye and the bill for a start and there shouldn't be an obvious pale eye-ring - particularly at the front of the eye. The dark on the underwing-coverts is also wrong for Isabelline Wheatear and structurally it doesn't look right either.

 

[alirezakiani]

Female Desert wheatear.

 

[JedSmith]

Thank you everyone for the input on this bird. I will admit, stonechats and wheatears are not birds I am experienced with. I have been looking at the points brought up in everyone's comments, and I am still struggling to put this bird in the Siberian stonechat box over a desert wheatear. While the eye-ring does seem to line up with more SIST photos, it seems to be present and notable in many DEWH photos in eBird as well. Contrastingly, I am struggling to find any photos of SIST that show: 1.) as light coloring in the primaries, 2.) as pronounced and light colored supercilium line, and 3.) as much lightness in the throat ALSO extending into the chest. It seems like the gestalt between SIST and DEWH is something that you just need a lot more time looking at these birds to have, because I feel truly unqualified to comment on that even after looking at a few hundred photos. Per @dwatsonbirder's comment, I am attaching a couple more contrasting photos. Thanks again for everyone's comments, I appreciate all the input! It may end up as a sp., which I really hoped these photos were sufficient for an ID. But, that is the way it goes sometimes.

 

[Southern Viking]

Still looks like Sibe Stonechat to me

 

[jogresh]

I would think the habitat is very atypical for a Desert Wheatear, even a migrant. 🤔