The Wheatear. 29 



Family— TURDIDy^. Subfamily— TURBINE. 



The Wheatear. 



Saxicola aiiatithe, LiNN. 



ALTHOUGH Howard Saunders associates the Wheatears with the " Bush- 

 chats," he points out the fact that they differ in their longer tails and 

 white rumps, and states also Dr. Sharpe's belief that the members of the 

 genus Pratincola are Flycatchers (Muscicapidce ) : the habits and actions of Saxicola 

 and Pratincola are certainly not exactly similar, although a general likeness in the 

 distribution of colours on the head, gives one the impression of relationship 

 between them. 



The Wheatear is a very remarkable bird in appearance, its head appearing to 

 be far too large for its body : in stuffed specimens its whole character is invariably 

 lost by the taxidermist, who produces an indentation, where none exists in life, 

 just at the back of the skull : illustrations also, being mostly taken from prepared 

 skins, do not usually do justice to the bull-headed Robin-like aspect of the living 

 bird. 



Occurring all over the Western Palasarctic Region from Greenland to Africa, 

 and eastward through Siberia to North China, the Wheatear is also found in 

 Eastern N. America and Behring's Straits ; it is common, though local, throughout 

 Great Britain, arriving early in March and departing in September ; but its 

 numbers increase as one travels northward, comparatively few pairs breeding in 

 the southern counties. In winter it occurs both in North and West Africa, whilst 

 Asiatic examples migrate to Mongolia, N. India and Persia, and American birds 

 travel as far as the Bermudas. 



The male Wheatear in breeding plumage has the upper parts grey, the wings 

 dark brown and black, the rump white, the two central tail-feathers black to near 

 base, the others white, broadly tipped with black ; forehead and superciliary streak 

 white ; lores and ear- coverts black ; under surface of body pale buff, slightly 

 deeper on throat and breast ; but in old birds almost white, with throat and 

 breast buff; under wing-coverts and axillaries mottled with dark grey and white; 

 bill black, feet black, iris dark brown. 



The female is bufi&sh brown, darker above, the ear-coverts dark brown instead 



