Saharan wheatear

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Saharan wheatear
Saharan wheatear

Saharan wheatear

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Family : Flycatcher (Muscicapidae)
Genre : Wheatear ( Oenanthe )
Type : Saharan wheatear
Scientific name
Oenanthe leucopyga
( Brehm , 1855)

The Sahara wheatear ( Oenanthe leucopyga ) is a 17 centimeter tall member of the flycatcher family . Another name for this species is racing wheatear .

Appearance

These birds have mostly black plumage. Only the top of the head, the two sides, the underside of the long tail, and the back of the abdomen are white. The legs and the pointed beak are gray.

distribution and habitat

2 Sahara wheatear in Israel

This species occurs mainly in the northwest of the African continent and on the Arabian Peninsula . The Saharan wheatear is only found scattered in the eastern Sahara. He inhabits the rocky and moderately overgrown areas of the desert. It is also represented in the stone walls of cattle stalls in human settlements.

Way of life

The diurnal Sahara wheatear searches for food, insects and their larvae, on the ground. He walks very nimbly through the countryside in search of food. The maximum age of the birds is 4 years.

Reproduction

The female usually builds her nest in rock caves or wall holes, rarely on the ground between stones. The nest is made of grass and smaller twigs. The female pads it with grass or wool from pets. The clutch comprises 3–4 blue-green, slightly rust-brown spotted eggs. The breeding season is 13-14 days. The female usually takes on the breeding business alone, only rarely is it replaced by the male. Both parents provide the young with insects , their larvae and other invertebrates . After 2 weeks the young leave the nest. The two adult birds then feed them for another 10 days before they separate from their parents and become independent. In Sudan , the Sahara wheatear nests in April , in northern areas mostly in May .

Danger

Because of its wide distribution and because no endangerments are known for this species, the IUCN classifies this species as Least Concern .

literature

  • Wildlife of Africa in color Page: 249,250 Karl Müller Verlag Erlangen 1989

Web links

Commons : Saharan Wheatear  - Collection of images, videos and audio files