Northern Wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyMuscicapidae (Papamosques del Vell Món)
- GenusOenanthe (Wheatears and Allies)
- SpeciesOenanthe oenanthe (Northern Wheatear)
The northern wheatear or wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is the most widespread member of the wheatear genus Oenanthe in Europe and North and Central Asia. The northern wheatear is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in open stony country in Europe and east across the Palearctic with footholds in northeastern Canada and Greenland as well as in northwestern Canada and Alaska. It nests in rock crevices and rabbit burrows. All birds spend most of their winter in Africa. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Wheatear sighting in Nairobi National Park, based on 186 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Nairobi National Park
Isabelline Wheatear
Oenanthe isabellina
Pied Wheatear
Oenanthe pleschanka
Capped Wheatear
Oenanthe pileata
White-browed Scrub Robin
Erythropygia leucophrys
African Gray Flycatcher
Bradornis microrhynchus
Rüppell's Robin-Chat
Cossypha semirufa
White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher
Dioptrornis fischeri
Spotted Morning-Thrush
Cichladusa guttata
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striata
Southern Black Flycatcher
Melaenornis pammelaina
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetra
African Dusky Flycatcher
Muscicapa adusta
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Northern Wheatear in Nairobi National Park?
About 15% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Wheatear sighting in Nairobi National Park, based on 186 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Northern Wheatear in Nairobi National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Northern Wheatear in Nairobi National Park in our monthly data.