Photo guide of most wanted birds of Athens: Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Introducing the Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe melanoleuca)

Identification tips, photos, distribution, and suggested bird tours to find the Eastern Black-eared Wheatear around Athens

Introducing the Eastern Black-eared Wheatear: This annual spring visitor inspired our logo, 20+ years ago. It's beauty basically relies on simplicity: striking black and white colouration. No wonder why the latin name contains "melanoleuca", meaning black and white in greek.

Our logo, with perching Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
at top right corner

This species loves the mediterannean habitat of mixed bushes, rocks, kermes oak trees. Males have black wings contrasting with the white back and crown, and a characteristic black mask through the eye and throat.

An Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, resembling
Finsch's Wheatear or Pied Wheatear

Don't be fulled by the posture and possibly confusing photos. Sometimes it seems that the black of the head and throat is connected with the black patch of the wing, making the bird resembling a Finsch's Wheatear, like the bird in the above picture. One should take a more careful second look, taking under consideration that Finsch's Wheatears are vagrants in Greece, with most sightings recorded in the eastern islands close to Turkey (Lesvos, Kastelorizo, Rhodes).

Birds arrive from their wintering areas south of Sahara by the first week of March. The first birds are seen in Cape Sounio, Spata fields, Mt Hymettus. The first territories are established in late March, were breeding birds can be seen in most rocky mountains around the city of Athens. The most reliable spots are Mt Parnitha, Mt Penteli, Mt HYmettus, Erythres plains, Cape Sounio.

A sample video of an Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, recorded in Mt Penteli, June 2024

Spyros Skareas
Bird Guide | Certified Tour Leader | Founder