Mountain Wheatear

Bergsteinschmätzer ( Oenanthe monticola )

The Bergsteinschmätzer ( Oenanthe monticola ), English Mountain Chat or Mountain Wheatear, is an insectivorous bird of the family of Fliegenschnäpperartigen ( Muscicapidae ). It is a common state bird in South Africa and Namibia as well as in the southern parts of Angola and Botswana. He prefers dry and hilly areas, but can be found in human settlements.

There are two subspecies Oenanthe monticola monticola of the Western Cape Province through Namibia to Angola and Oenanthe monticola griseiceps in the Drakensberg Mountains, the eastern Karoo, Transvaal and southern Botswana.

With a length of 17-20 centimeters, the bird is slightly smaller than a choke. Like other Wheatear also it is marked by a black T- shaped pattern of the tail, rump and outer tail feathers are white, the legs and the pointed beak black. The striking black and white plumage of the male is highly variable, although the pattern of the tail and a white shoulder patch are always present. The dark plumage ranges may vary from a pale gray to an almost pure black. The female is colored to the white rump and black-and- white tail coloration in a dark brown. Young males resemble the females.

The song is a free, well -pitched whistles, mainly early in the morning and evening, sometimes on moonlit nights.

The Bergsteinschmätzer is monogamous and lays two to four greenish- blue eggs with pink spots. It nests originally on the floor between or among rocks, but also under roofs and in nest boxes. The nest is made of dry grass and other plant residues and has a lined with hair and fibers bowl-shaped cavity. It is built by the female alone in four to 14 days.

The breeding season is from September to January, rarely even from June to March, and is 13 to 14 days, with only the female incubates. The young remain in the nest about 16 days and are fed by both parents. A pair incubates two to three times per year.

The diet consists of insects, especially young grasshoppers. In populated areas, the bird is also attracted to bird houses.