The Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) is a very rare visitor to New Brunswick. It is usually seen in fall in large open areas. When one is spotted it causes excitement among birders because of its rarity. This year in early October one was seen for a couple of days on the Tantramar marsh. From pictures posted of this individual it was probably a female or a juvenile.
The first reported wheatears seen in New Brunswick were 2 specimens 'collected' in Charlotte County in the late 19th century. Two were seen at Saint John in 1976 and another the same year in Victoria County. Sightings have become more common in recent years. I have seen a Northern Wheatear in Fredericton in December, 2002. I have also seen them in Iceland and Norway. The Iceland birds were on rocky outcrops and in Norway the bird was in a large ploughed field. One of the Iceland birds was typically wagging its tail.
The Northern Wheatear is commonly found in high-latitude areas of the Northern Hemisphere. In North America it breeds along the coast of Labrador, Ungava, Baffin Island, the high Arctic Islands, Yukon and Alaska. It migrates east through Greenland and Europe to winter in sub-Saharan Africa. That makes it one of our longest-distance migrants! It is found in grasslands, rocky tundra and barren slopes.
The Northern Wheatear is a thrush, a member of the Turdidae family (although this is presently disputed). There are many wheatears in the world but the Northern Wheatear is the only one found here. The Northern Wheatear is a small thrush, 15 cm/5.75 inches long. It appears long-legged and short-tailed. The male has gray upperparts with black wings, mask and tail. The underparts are white and there is an ochre wash on his throat, breast and flanks. The female is duller with a cinnamon wash over her breast and throat which extends onto her back. She lacks the black mask. The tail is distinctive in this species, a feature that is seen only in flight. It is mainly white with a broad black terminal band which juts into the white in the central area as a squarish block. I have seen this and it is a remarkable field mark. The juvenile wheatear is speckled like our young thrushes and is a version of the female. We are very unlikely to see a juvenile here.
There are two subspecies, the oenanthe and the leucorhoa. The oenanthe is found in Eurasia, Alaska and northwest Canada. The leucorhoa subspecies is found in Greenland, Nunavit and Labrador. Amazingly, both species winter in southern Africa. So, we see the leucorhoa subspecies here. In Britain the wheatear is one of the earliest spring migrants.
The Northern Wheatear eats primarily insects but also fruits, seeds, centipedes and snails. It forages mostly on the ground in a manner much like our foraging robin. It will also perch low to the ground and fly out to capture an insect much like a flycatcher. Wheatears often sing during flight. The song is a scratchy warbling sound and the bird also mimics other bird songs. Its call note is short and 'thweet'.
Northern Wheatears nest in crevices in rocky outcrops, in wood piles, on the ground or on cliff edges. The nest is made of grass, roots and moss and is lined with fine grasses. Three to eight pale blue eggs are incubated 14 days mostly by the female.
The Northern Wheatear was first described as a species in 1758 by Linnaeus. Its name Oenanthe comes from ancient Greek and means 'wine flower', named for its early return to Greece just like the early blooming blossoms in the vineyards. In recent years this species has been removed by some from the thrush family (Turdidae) and has been placed in the Muscicapidae family, the Old World flycatchers.
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