Birds of North Carolina
their Distribution and Abundance
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
Sole representative of MUSCICAPIDAE in NC
Northern Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe
General Comments
There are five state records of this primarily Eurasian species, all in Sep - Oct, with three from the coast and two from the mountains. With one exception, Northern Wheatears in North Carolina have tended not to stay in one place for very long. Because Wheatears breed in rocky areas in the Arctic tundra, occurrences in the East are often in "strange" places -- parking lots, campgrounds, rooftops, and other "hard" structures as opposed to on/in vegetation.
Breeding Status
Nonbreeder
NC BRC List
The species' status on the List of Bird Species of North Carolina: either Definitive, Provisional, or Extinct, as administered by the NC Bird Records Committee. The Provisional List contains species for which there are less than three accepted sight (i.e., non-documented) records. Species of unaccepted origin are not included on the List of Bird Species of North Carolina.
Definitive
State Status
none
U.S. Status
Definitive
State Rank
SZ
Global Rank
G5
Coastal Plain
Accidental or casual. There are three records from the coast: one was photographed at Avon (Dare) on 2 Oct 1987 (Chat 56:30-31), (Chat 54:57); one was seen by many birders at the Cape Hatteras Point Campground (Dare), 22 Sep - 29 Oct 1994 (Chat 59:107); and one was found at Ocracoke (Hyde) on 6-7 Oct 1996 (Chat 60:124).
Piedmont
No records.
Mountains
Accidental. Surprisingly, there have been two "one-day wonders" in the mountains: a sight record in Franklin (Macon) on 11 October 1981 (Chat 46:82-83); and an adult female photographed at Connestee Falls (Transylvania) on 13 October 2003 (Chat 68:55). Photographs of this last bird are posted on the Carolina Bird Club Photo Gallery.
Finding Tips
1/2*