Northern Wheatear
Northern Wheatear has no long-term trend on record.
About the Northern Wheatear
The Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) is a North American member of the Old World Flycatchers & Chats (Muscicapidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 4.5–7 in long (12–18 cm) — a small songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 11 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 1 state, most concentrated in the BCR 2.
- Family
- Muscicapidae · Forest birds
Notable Northern Wheatear Trends
No notable trend signals for Northern Wheatear. See the full index history below.
Northern Wheatear Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Northern Wheatear is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.00 (95% range 0.00–0.00). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±135%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2027 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2028 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2029 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Where the Northern Wheatear Is Detected
BBS routes recording Northern Wheatear, sized by most recent count.
Northern Wheatear Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +12% | 1987 | 11 |
Northern Wheatear Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | +14% | 1995 | 5 |
Northern Wheatear Conservation Status
Northern Wheatear is tracked across BBS survey routes; no formal conservation-status flag is recorded here.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.