Black-eared Wheatear

Oenanthe hispanica (Linnaeus, 1758)

2019-04-15 Qaraqalpakstan, Sudochie Lake	© Maksim Mitropolskiy

Description

In spring males of Black-eared Wheatear have white under- and upperparts sometimes grey tinged on head and with buffy tone on back. Lores and ear coverts are black; sometimes head-flanks are black too. Flight feathers, wing coverts, scapulars and underwings are black. Tail feathers are white with black tips. Bill, legs and claws are black. Female is brownish above; uppertail are white, underparts are buffy, underwings are black-brownish. Flight feathers are dark-brownish, tail feathers are white with dark-brownish tips. Juveniles are pale-brownish with dark-brownish edges of feathers and pale pre-terminal spots, rump and uppertail are white, underparts are pale-buffy with dark-brown edges. Size: wing 85-89 mm. Weight: 16,5-18,5 gr. There are two color morphs: 'aurita' - with white throat and 'melanoleuca' with black one.

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 3. "Наука". Алма-Ата, 1970. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005