Western Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe) [XC730457]
by Stanislas Wroza from Zaragoza (near Juslibol), Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain (imitation, song, many imitations of motacilla flava, mimicry\/imitation)
Western Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe) [XC149047]
by Stanislas Wroza from Arribes del Duero, Miranda, Spain (song)
Nest
A cup of grass and moss, lined with hair, on the ground under a rock or bush.
Eggs (Guide)
4 - 5; smooth, glossy, pale blue, finely marked red-brown at the larger end.
Subspecies
Oenanthe hispanica (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) was split into Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica) and Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe melanoleuca) by Sangster et al. (1999) but this treatment is not followed by the BirdLife Taxnomic Working Group because both forms hybridise and intergrade into each other.
Sometimes considered conspecific with Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka). However, they hybridize where breeding ranges overlap, with no evidence of assortative mating, and may be better reunited as one species.
Subspecies melanoleuca fairly distinct, but intergrades with nominate (amount of black on mask/throat increases from west to east).
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
hispanica (Linnaeus, 1758) - South-western and south-central Europe (east to Italy and Croatia) and north-western Africa. Non-breeding western African Sahel.
melanoleuca (Güldenstädt, 1775) - South-central and south-eastern Europe, Asia Minor and Levant east to Caspian Sea, south-western Kazakhstan and north, western and southern Iran. Non-breeding central and eastern Sahel and north-eastern Africa. Considered by some authors to be a dist. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe melanoleuca).
The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7
BirdLife International Species Factsheet