About Oenanthe leucura (Gmelin, 1789)
Black wheatear, whose scientific name is Oenanthe leucura (Gmelin, 1789), is a large wheatear with a body length of 16 to 18 cm. Adult males of this species are entirely black, except for a white rump and a mostly white tail. Females have a similar pattern to males, but their plumage is dark brown rather than black. This species produces a loud, thrush-like song. The closely related white-crowned wheatear (Oenanthe leucopyga) also breeds in the African portion of the black wheatear’s breeding range. The two species can be distinguished by markings on the white tail: the black wheatear has a black inverted "T" marking on its tail, while the white-crowned wheatear only has black coloration on the central part of its tail. Black wheatears never have a white crown, a feature that also distinguishes them from adult white-crowned wheatears, though young white-crowned wheatears also lack a white crown.
