Eastern Black-eared Wheatear
Oenanthe melanoleuca (Güldenstädt, 1775) (4, 0)
Photo © Kris Webb
STATUS
South-east Europe. Asia. Monotypic.
OVERVIEW
Black-eared Wheatear (2019) has been split into two full species, Eastern Black-eared O.melanoleuca, and Western Black-eared O. hispanica.
Presented below is my interpretation of records of this species which matches Witherby (1920-24).
BOU (1883) admitted the 1875 Lancashire record under 'Black-throated Wheatear', but made no mention of it in the Second List (BOU 1915) who recorded three records under Western and one under Eastern, all of which turned out to be part of the 'Hastings Rarities' fraud.
RECORDS
1). 1915 Greater Manchester Burnage, near Didsbury, Lancashire, male, seen, 29th March.
(F. C. R. Jourdain, British Birds 9: 155; Witherby, 1920-24; Oakes, 1953; BOURC (2021) email).
History F. C. R. Jourdain (1915) in British Birds, Vol. IX. p. 155, says: 'Mr. Herbert Massey informs me that on March 29th, 1915, he saw a Wheatear close to Burnage, near Didsbury, Lancashire, which at first sight gave the impression of being black and white. It allowed him to get within about twenty yards, but was very restless, although it never flew very far away when followed up. The bird was in company with some Common or Greenland Wheatears. The following notes were made by Mr. Massey in his diary at the time. Crown, back and breast pure white; wings black: tail black and white; throat black ; legs black. There was no yellowish tinge on the back or crown and the white appeared to be very pure in colour. The description agrees exactly with that of the bird seen by Mr. W. S. Medlicott on the Cleveland Hills in June, and there is, I think, little doubt that it was also an example of the Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe h. xanthomeloena).'
Admitted nationally in the 9th Checklist as the first for Britain (BOURC (2018), Ibis 160: 190-240).
2). 1915 Yorkshire Cleveland Hills, male, seen, 6th June.
(W. S. Medlicott, British Birds 9: 122-123; Witherby, 1920-24; Chislett, 1952; Mather, 1986).
History W. S. Medlicott (1915) in British Birds, Vol. IX. pp. 122-123, says: 'On June 6th, 1915, I met with a male Wheatear on the moor edge of the Cleveland Hills, Yorks., about ten miles from the sea. I had the bird under observation for three hours on a stone wall, occasionally flying to the ground when he spotted an insect. In colour there was nothing on this bird but pure white and sooty black, with the slightest suspicion of brown in it.
The bird was pure white all over with the following exceptions: - Wings, black; throat, from just above the eyes and base of beak to about ¾ in. below base of beak, and from behind each eye, black; tail, some central feathers black: outer tail-feathers some black on lower portions, other portions white (it was not possible to see exactly the markings on each tail-feather). Legs and beak, black. He was without doubt a more active and restless bird than our Common Wheatear and more of a percher: he was never on the ground for more than a second or two and did not run on the ground like our bird. He twice rested for a minute or more on a large stone on the wall top, crouching on his breast, not using his legs. I have never seen our bird do this. Once or twice he sang a shorter, sweeter, more guttural song than our bird. I had strong Ross binoculars and could see his markings very clearly, though he would not allow a closer approach than 15 yards or so.
In reply to an alarm note a second Wheatear appeared for a short time on two occasions, the description of which is as follows: - Crown, back of neck, back, very light stone-grey; rump white; wings brown, broad brown line over ears and through and below eye to base of beak. Throat and breast very light fawn. Under-parts white. Tail, brown and white, lower portion and centre brown, rest white. Legs and beak nearly black. This second Wheatear was possibly a rather light-coloured male of the ordinary Wheatear.
Although I visited the place twice within a week, I never saw the birds again. After examining the skins in the Natural History Museum, I am convinced that the bird first seen was a male of the Eastern race of the Black-throated Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica xanthomeloena). Most of the skins showed some fawn colour, but there are one or two exactly like the bird seen by me.'
Accepted locally (Chislett 1952: 113; Mather 1986).
3). 1940 Lancashire & North Merseyside Near Lytham, two, males, seen, 18th to 22nd April.
(R. H. Fisher & J. W. Sutcliffe, British Birds 34: 109-110; Oakes, 1953).
History R. H. Fisher & J. W. Sutcliffe (1940) in British Birds, Vol. XXXIV. pp. 109-110, say: 'On visiting a potato field near Lytham, on April 18th, 1940, J. W. S. first noticed two unusual looking wheatears, amongst the Common Wheatears we found in the field. Subsequently we watched these birds closely, not only on this occasion but on others, between the 18th and 22nd, during which period they were always to be found in the field. We made detailed notes and these have been submitted to Major A. W. Boyd and Mr. H. F. Witherby, who are of opinion that the birds were undoubtedly male Black-eared Wheatears Oenanthe hispanica.
Mr. Witherby considers that they were probably of the Western form as the bird best observed showed no black on the fore-head. The following are the essential points extracted from our notes made on the spot. There were a number of Common Wheatears in the same and neighbouring fields and these were apparently all males. The two birds in question were conspicuously different. One of them was comparatively bold, and we were able to make detailed notes of its plumage. The other was much shyer, but we managed to approach it close enough to see that its main markings were similar to those of the bolder bird. though not in such a striking state of plumage - its wings were jet-black and its body plumage white or buffy, so it was evidently like the other an adult male. The tamer bird had a very conspicuous black and white appearance, the body plumage being white with a pale creamy tint on the fore-head, the crown of the head was white, there was a slight trace of buff on its mantle and a buff tinge was conspicuous on the chin and upper part of the throat, the wings and a wide stripe on each side of the head extending beyond the ear-coverts were jet-black. Most of the tail appeared to be white with a black line down the centre, a black tip and a slight edging of black on the outer feathers; the black at the tip appeared much less extensive than in the Common Wheatear. The birds flitted from clod to clod and fed in the furrows catching some insects, which they apparently enjoyed with avidity. The tamer bird was a truly magnificent sight when perched on the empty potato-seed boxes - the satin-like sheen of its feathers standing out in the sunlight.
NOT PROVEN
0). 1905 Sussex Pett, adult male, shot, 9th September.
(W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 16: 21-22; E. N. Bloomfield, Hastings and East Sussex Naturalist 1: 17-18; H. Saunders, British Birds 1: 6; Walpole-Bond, 1938).
[E. M. Nicholson & I. J. Ferguson-Lees, British Birds 55: 299-384 HR].
History W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Editor (1905) in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, Vol. XVI. pp. 21-22, at the 117th Meeting of the Club held on 18th October 1905 at the Restaurant Frascati, London, says: 'Mr. M. J. Nicoll exhibited examples of two species of birds new to the British list and made the following remarks: -...2. Saxicola stapazina, male adult. "I shot this Black-eared Chat on September 9th, 1905, near Pett, Sussex. It undoubtedly belongs to the eastern form, having the underside of the wing and axillaries jet black. This is the first time that this form has occurred in Britain, the two previous examples of the Black-eared Chat being referable to the western form, Saxicola caterinae, Whitaker (cf. Bull. B.O.C., XII. p. 78, and XV. p. 71). The wind had been westerly or south-westerly since the 1st September, with the exception of a few hours on the 6th, when it shifted to the south-east. On September 7th a south-westerly gale sprang up, accompanied by heavy rain which fell continually for the next three days. On September 9th, the day on which I shot this rare straggler, the rain was falling heavily and the gale was at its highest".'
E. N. Bloomfield (1906) in the Hastings and East Sussex Naturalist, Vol. I. pp. 17-18, says: 'I am indebted to Messrs. N. F. Ticehurst and W. Ruskin Butterfield for the following notices of rare birds which have occurred in our own and in neighbouring districts. In the Hastings district - Saxicola stapazina, L., Eastern Black-eared Chat, near Pett, September 9th, 1905, first British specimen.'
Howard Saunders (1907) in British Birds, Vol. I. p. 6, under 'Additions to the List of British Birds since 1899', says: 'On 18th October, 1905, Mr. M. J . Nicoll exhibited an adult male, shot by himself on September 9th, 1905, near Pett, Sussex, and this was referred by him (Bull., XVI. p. 22) to the Eastern form for which Mr. Whitaker reserves the name S. stapazina. For the present I must ask the last to excuse me from accepting his sub-division and allow me to use stapazina for both forms.'
Accepted locally by Walpole-Bond (1938 (2): 92) under 'Eastern Black-eared Wheatear', who says: 'Michael Nicoll shot our first specimen...On the disposal of his collection in 1912 it was acquired by the Dyke Road Museum, Brighton.'
Comment Hastings rarity. Not acceptable.
0). 1914 Sussex Near Westfield, female, shot, 21st April.
(J. B. Nichols, British Birds 9: 121; Walpole-Bond, 1938).
[E. M. Nicholson & I. J. Ferguson-Lees, British Birds 55: 299-384 HR].
History J. B. Nichols (1915) in British Birds, Vol. IX. p.122, says: 'On April 22nd, 1914, I saw in the flesh a female Wheatear, which was shot at Westfield, near St. Leonards, Sussex, on April 21st, 1914. I was not sure to which form it belonged, but Mr. Witherby has kindly examined it and decided it to be the Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe h. xanthomoloena).'
Accepted locally by Walpole-Bond (1938 (2): 92) under 'Eastern Black-eared Wheatear', who says: '...Originally in the Nichols collection, it is now in the Booth Museum, Brighton.'
Comment Hastings rarity. Not acceptable.
0). 1914 Sussex Pevensey, male, shot, 30th April.
(J. B. Nichols, British Birds 9: 122; Walpole-Bond, 1938).
[E. M. Nicholson & I. J. Ferguson-Lees, British Birds 55: 299-384 HR].
History J. B. Nichols (1915) in British Birds, Vol. IX. p. 122, says: 'A male (with a white throat) of the same subspecies was shot at Pevensey, Sussex, on April 30th, 1914. It was examined by Mr. M. J. Nicoll.'
Accepted locally by Walpole-Bond (1938 (2): 92) under 'Eastern Black-eared Wheatear', who says: '...Originally in the Nichols collection, it is now in the Booth Museum, Brighton.'
Comment Hastings rarity. Not acceptable.
0). 1924 Sussex Camber Castle, adult male, shot, 15th May.
(N. F. Ticehurst, Hastings and East Sussex Naturalist 4: 28; Walpole-Bond, 1938).
[E. M. Nicholson & I. J. Ferguson-Lees, British Birds 55: 299-384 HR].
History N. F. Ticehurst (1928) in the Hastings and East Sussex Naturalist, Vol. IV. p. 28, says: 'An adult male, of the black-throated form, shot near Camber Castle on May 15th, 1924, is in the Dyke Road Museum, Brighton.'
Accepted locally by Walpole-Bond (1938 (2): 92) under 'Eastern Black-eared Wheatear', says: 'I hardly know under which race I ought to have included the following bird (which is also in the Dyke Road Museum, Brighton), because, to quote Mr. A. F. Griffith (Cat. B. Dyke Rd. Mus., B'ton, 5th ed., 1927, p. 258), it "shows some of the peculiarities of plumage supposed to mark the western form and others belonging to the Eastern (Saunders, 1899, p. 24). However, as it is labelled Eastern, Eastern it shall remain...'
Comment Hastings rarity. Not acceptable.
0). 1932 Dorset White Nothe, seen, 13th June.
(F. L. Blathwayt, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Society 54: 205; F. L. Blathwayt, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Society 55: 179; Boys, 1973; Prendergast & Boys, 1983).
[Eds., British Birds 27: 79; F. L. Blathwayt, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Society 61: 146].
History F. L. Blathwayt (1933) in the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Society, Vol. LIV. p. 205, in the Annual Report for 1932, says: 'About mid-day on June 13th, C.E.H. had under observation at close range and for 15 minutes, on the cliffs near Whitenose, a very black-and-white looking Wheatear quite unlike any he had ever seen before. From careful descriptions given of the bird it was almost certainly a Black-eared Wheatear, and very possibly of the Eastern form. It passed on and was not seen again. This is a new species for the County list of birds, and is a very rare vagrant to Britain. C.E.H. subsequently verified his observations at the Nat. Hist. Museum, London.'
In an Editorial (1933) in British Birds, Vol. XXVII. p. 79, in a Review of the Dorset Phenological Report for 1932, they say: 'This is issued by the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society and is compiled by the Rev. F. L. Blathwayt, and is concerned chiefly with birds....A bird seen near Whitenose on June 13th and identified as the Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe h. melanoleuca) is not described in detail and it is impossible to judge of its correctness, but we should have been inclined to have placed it within square brackets.'
Admitted by F. L. Blathwayt (1934) in the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Society, Vol. LV. p. 179, under 'A Revised List of the Birds of Dorset'.
Not admitted by F. L. Blathwayt (1940) in the Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Society, Vol. LXI. p. 146, under 'A Revised List of the Birds of Dorset', who now places the record in square-brackets.
Boys (1973: 51) says: 'One seen at Whitenothe on 13th June, 1932, probably should be omitted from the Dorset list.'
Comment No identification details for this sight record of a difficult species. Not acceptable.
