Northern Wheatear

Lahic, Caucasus Mountains, Azerbaijan

The Northern wheatear prefers open rocky grounds with scattered patches of low grass for foraging both in mountainous regions and on coastal plains. The Northern wheatear has a very wide range from Asia, across Europe and into Canada and Alaska.

Feeding

Its diet is mostly insects taken on the ground but also some berries.

Breeding

The female builds the nest in a cavity, for instance, amongst rocks or in a rabbit burrow and is made of plant material and lined with leaves, grasses, moss and lichen. The female builds the nest alone while the male guards with territorial songs and aerial displays. The clutch consists of four to seven blue, occasionally brown speckled eggs and are incubated by the female. Both bird feed the chicks. There is one clutch per year with a second only if the first is lost.

Wildfile Extras

• All northern wheatears move to Africa in Autumn, with one of the longest migrations of any small bird, enduring oceans, ice and deserts.
• The northern wheatear is good at imitating the songs of other birds.