446 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



north-west China ; wintering in north-east and east Africa, south 

 Arabia, and west India. Casual in south-east Europe, a few times 

 observed in Tunisia and Algeria. 



leucura (Gm.) — THE BLACK 



CENANTHE LEUCURA 



184. CEnanthe leucura 



WHEATEAR. 



Tttrdus leucurus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., i, ii, p. 820 (1789 — Gibraltar). 

 Saxicola leucura (Gm.), N. F. Ticehurst, Brit. B., iii, p. 289. 



Description. — Adult 

 male. Winter. — ^Whole 

 body - plumage black 

 somewhat glossy and 

 with slight brownish 

 tinge, except rump, 

 upper and under tail- 

 coverts which are 

 white ; some feathers of 

 vent and ventral end of 

 flanks with white tips ; 

 tail - feathers narrowly 

 tipped white : central 

 pair with about basal 

 half white and distal 

 half brown-black, rest 

 of feathers white with 

 black tips (black 

 measured from tip of 

 feather to its farthest 

 extremity basally is in 

 central feather 30-36 

 mm. and in fourth from 

 outer 10-15 mm. the 

 black often being 

 divided with white) ; 

 wing-feathers blackish- 

 brown, outer webs very 

 narrowly edged pale 



brown and inner webs Lower figure, The Black Wheatear (CEnanthe I. leucura). 

 ^rltrprl otptW^Ii - whitp • Upper figure. The North African Black Wheatear (ffi. Z. 

 eageu gieyibU VVUllU , gygnMca), Males. Showing dittereuce in amount of black 



primary-coverts as lutaiis. 



primaries ; innermost 



secondaries and wing-coverts darker than rest of wing-feathers 



but not so black as body -feathers. This plumage is acquired by 



complete moult July to Oct. Summer. — No moult. Abrasion 



makes plumage rather more brownish. 



