The wheatear or northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) is a small mainly ground-dwelling bird. Wheatear" is not derived from "wheat" or any sense of "ear", but is a 16th-century linguistic corruption of "white" and "arse", referring to the prominent white rump found in most species. Sometimes it is called the White-rump, and in French blanculet (the little blanccul) for its white rump. A small thrush (oenanthe), it has grey upperparts, black wings, mask, and tail. Underparts are white, and buff-brown wash on throat. Dark grey back and nape. The scientific name oenanthe is from ancient Greek and means "wine-flower," alluding to the fact that these birds return to Greece in the spring just as the vineyards blossom. The Northern Wheatear is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in open stony country in Europe and Asia with footholds in northeastern Canada and Greenland as well as in northwestern Canada and Alaska.
