Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species has an extremely large range and the population size is very large, hence does not approach threatened thresholds for the range or population size criteria. The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion. For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Population justification
In Europe, the total population size is estimated at 54,500-99,700 mature individuals, with 27,200-49,900 breeding pairs (BirdLife International 2021), and comprises approximately 10% of the species' global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is between 545,000-997,000 mature individuals, although further validation of this estimate is desirable. In Europe the trend for this species is not known (BirdLife International 2021). As no other data are available to derive trends, the global population trend for this species is unknown
Trend justification
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This species typically occupies arid rocky desolate semi-desert, stony slopes, rocky outcrops, lightly wooded slopes, hilly pastures and fallow fields in flat and undulating steppe country as well as riverbanks, gulleys, crags and cliffs. Breeding is from early May in the Ukraine, from May to June in Afghanistan and to August in northern Pakistan. The nest is a loose flat cup of coarse plant stems and rootlets, lined with fine stems, animal hair and wool and typically with a base and/or entrance platform of small twigs. It is set in a small cavity under a stone, or in the wall of a gulley, bank or building. Clutches are four to six eggs. It feeds on invertebrates, especially ants and beetles but supplements with fruit in the autumn (Collar 2015). The species is migratory, wintering in eastern Africa and south-west Arabia (Snow and Perrins 1998).
In Bulgaria, the species is known to hybridize with Oenanthe oenanthe where their ranges overlap, but this is not thought to be a serious threat (Hagemeijer and Blair 1997).
Conservation Actions Underway
CMS Appendix II. Bern Convention Appendix II. EU Birds Directive Annex I. There are currently no known conservation measures for this species within Europe.
Conservation Actions Proposed
No conservation measures are currently needed for this species within its European range.
Text account compilers
Rutherford, C.A., Martin, R.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/pied-wheatear-oenanthe-pleschanka on 23/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 23/11/2024.