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Natural Images |
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Black wheatear...Oenanthe leucura...Collalba negra |
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Breeding in open, rocky habitats widespread in the hilly areas of Spain the black wheatear is easy to identify by its black body and white tail.
The female is similar, except that she is dark-brown rather than black. They are monogamous and lay 3-6 light blue eggs which have red/brown speckles. The eggs are laid in a nest cup, the nest often being in caves or crevices. The female alone incubates the eggs. During the incubation period the male does not feed her, but they both feed the chicks.
Resident all year and easy to see in the countryside around the village of Grazalema often sitting on top of rocks and walls. |
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One of the characteristics of a black wheatear nest is that it contains a pile of stones near the entrance. It is mainly the male that carries the stones to the nest during the courtship period. These stones are usually found within 10 m of the nest cavity. Not a lot is known about why this stone carrying is done. Theories range from protecting the nestlings from dust etc to the male proving his nest building abilities. |