Description:

Medium-sized very variable wheatear, male similar to Hume's Wheatear. Males can be mainly black, have a black head with white underparts, or a white crown and white underparts. Females can be mainly sooty brown or have greyish upperparts with variable greyish-white underparts.

Distribution:

Common and widespread summer visitor to lower valleys all across Gilgit-Baltistan. Found in arid boulder-covered hills with stony outcrops and scattered vegetation up to 2400m; winters in stony desert foothills and cultivated areas.

Behavior:

Prey pursued very actively on ground, in air and from low rock perch. Seen to pursue large moths in flight. Usually sings from a prominent perch or in flight. Feeds on small insects, notably ants, small beetles, flies and small grasshoppers, also larger insects, occasionally also fruit and berries.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Variable Wheatear in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Variable Wheatear

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.