Northern Wheatear

• GeneralThe Alaskan population crosses the whole of Asia to reach Africa: as much as 15,000 km each way.
• Its Spanish name comes from the white of its tail: "colla" plus "alba".
• The populations that breed in Alaska and Greenland cross half the planet to winter in sub-Saharan Africa, like the rest of the species.
• It nests in holes among rocks and also inside abandoned rabbit burrows.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Open stony ground, short grass and tundra

Size at birth

The chicks hatch partly covered in dark grey down

Gestation / incubation

10-16 days, mainly by the female

Litter / clutch size

2-9 eggs, with up to two clutches a year between April and July. The chicks fledge at 15 days and become independent at a month

Sources consulted: SEO/BirdLife (ficha y III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España) · IUCN Red List · Asturnatura · Animalia.bio · Tellería, Asensio y Díaz 1999, Aves Ibéricas II

Best time: From April to July in Spain, when it is a summer visitor; also on migration