Wildlifeof Nepal
Red-tailed Wheatear
Thrushes, Chats & Flycatchers
Photo: (c) avocat, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Oenanthe chrysopygia
Basic stats
Diet
Insects such as ants, beetles and caterpillars, foraged on bare ground
Habitat
Steep, barren, rocky ground with little vegetation, in mountainous areas at 1,200–4,000m
Clutch size
4–6 pale bluish-white eggs, sometimes with reddish-brown spots
Incubation period
13 days
Size
14.5cm; wingspan 26–27cm
Weight
20–27g
The red-tailed wheatear, also known as the rusty-tailed, Persian or Afghan wheatear, is a small passerine breeding in mountainous areas of south-west and central Asia, 14.5 cm long with a wingspan of 26–27 cm and weighing 20–27 g. The plumage is fairly drab, mainly grey-brown above and greyish-white below. It belongs to the wheatear genus Oenanthe, formerly placed in the thrush family and now in the Old World flycatchers (Wikipedia, general species account).
It nests on steep, barren, rocky ground with little vegetation and usually forages on bare ground, feeding mainly on insects such as ants, beetles and caterpillars. The song is a simple repeated whistle. Four to six eggs are incubated for 13 days (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Red-tailed Wheatear eat?
- Insects such as ants, beetles and caterpillars, foraged on bare ground
- What habitat does the Red-tailed Wheatear live in?
- Steep, barren, rocky ground with little vegetation, in mountainous areas at 1,200–4,000m
- How many eggs does the Red-tailed Wheatear lay?
- 4–6 pale bluish-white eggs, sometimes with reddish-brown spots
- How long are the eggs of the Red-tailed Wheatear incubated?
- 13 days
- How big is the Red-tailed Wheatear?
- 14.5cm; wingspan 26–27cm
- How much does the Red-tailed Wheatear weigh?
- 20–27g