A second Isabelline Wheatear sighting in a little over a week. The bird was seen two days in a row, Stefan de Maillon in the Chobe area Botswana, on the 1st and 2nd January 2013. GPS co-ordinates provided by Stefan are 17°52'17.99"S ; 25°14'22.12"E. Close to Senyati Safari Lodge on the dirt road to Lesoma.

Isabelline Wheatear

The Isabelline Wheatear - Oenanthe isabellina - was formerly classed as a member of the Thrush family -Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World Flycatcher family - Muscicapidae. It breeds in southern Russia and central Asia, Wintering in India and Africa, north of the equator.

Description

The largest of the Oenanthe species. It has a long, strong and slightly hooked bill, a relatively short tail, and a long body usually held noticeably upright. They are pale grey-yellow or pale fawn and are the palest of the Oenanthe species, with little contrast between its upper and under parts. Female isabelline wheatears are generally smaller and slightly duller than males. They have long legs and claws and a wide footspan which enable them to run along the ground at notable speed.

Call

Call a fairly sharp ‘chip’, sometimes with hint of downslur, ‘chiü’; also a stifled clicking ‘chack’. Song distinctive, drawn out (verses often 10- 15 sec., pauses brief), ‘chatty’, and including diagnostic ‘Harpo Marx whistles’ (fast, short wolf-whistles), ‘vi-vi-vi-vü-vü-vü-vuy-vuy...’, hard, crunchy sounds and also more or less good imitations.

Food

An insectivorous bird which consists primarily of small invertebrates, such as ants and beetles, which it digs for in the soil. Its large, strong bill allows it to hammer prey using its bill and then to swallow it whole. It either hovers to locate its prey or forages on the ground, making quick dashes after prey.

Breeding

It breeds in southern Russia and central Asia. The breeding season begins at the end of March nesting in the burrow of a rodent or in a natural hole. Both the male and female sharing responsibility for feeding the young. The young are fed for 12 to 14 days after leaving the nest and are then forced to the edge of their parents’ territory. A second brood is usually started before the first is completely independent.

Conservation Status – Least Concern

Being of Least Concern, there are no specific conservation projects targeted at this species. However, some efforts are in place to ensure the maintenance of habitats which may, in turn, help to conserve it.

Birdwatching

Ask Aves Birding Tours to create a custom tour for you to see these birds breeding.