Finsch's wheatear (Oenanthe finschii) is a wheatear, a small insectivorous passerine that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family, Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher of the family Muscicapidae.
The common name and scientific name commemorate the German ethnographer, naturalist and colonial explorer Friedrich Hermann Otto Finsch (8 August 1839 – 31 January 1917, Braunschweig).[1]
There are two recognized subspecies:[2] [3]
A medium-sized elegant wheatear with long wings and long legs. It measures 14 cm long, with 25-27 wingspan, and weigh 21-32 g.[4] In summer the male Finsch's wheatear is a white and black bird. The white crown, central back and belly contrast with the black face, throat and wings. The tail and rump are white, with an inverted black T giving a pattern like eastern black-eared wheatear, but with a uniformly wide terminal band.
The female is brown-grey above, becoming dirty white below. The tail pattern is similar to the male's
Its call is a whistled tsit, and the song is a mix of clear notes with whistles and crackling.
Finsch's wheatear breeds in semi-desert and stony hillsides from Turkey east to Afghanistan and western Pakistan. It is a short-distance migrant, wintering in Egypt, Cyprus and the Greater Middle East. The nest is built in a rock crevice, and 4-5 eggs is the normal clutch.
It feeds mainly on insects.
The species has a wide distribution range, a large population, and although it's population trends are unknown, they are not believed to be fast enough to approach vulnerability. As a result, it is classified as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).[5]
In Europe, the estimated breeding population ranges from 102,000 to 309,000 pairs, representing approximately 25% of the species' global range. This translates to a preliminary global population estimate of 816,000 to 2,470,000 mature individuals, requiring further validation.[6]