Flash of Colour
Could the Wheatear be the only bird whose name was censored in the 17th Century?
Find out why the brilliant little Wheatear’s name was censored in the 17th Century!
The Wheatear, or to be more ‘correct’, the Northern Wheatear, is a favourite bird for many, their characterful behaviour endearing them to both birders and non-birders alike. They even have a strange name that has an amusing, if ever so slightly rude, origin. If you knew nothing at all about a Wheatear, you might think that the name describes the typical habitat it is found in, a bird of cereal crops and long grassland perhaps? Indeed, early writers on natural history stated this to be the case; the 17th Century naturalist Francis Willughby wrote that the birds abound during the wheat harvest, getting very fat on the abundant seed that is available from the ‘Wheat Ears’. There is an obvious problem with this, Wheatears don’t eat wheat seed. They don’t eat seeds at all. Their diet is made up of a wide range of invertebrates – everything from snails to spiders and butterflies to beetles are readily consumed, they are not fussy – but they certainly don’t eat cereals. They also aren’t found, as a rule, in cereal crops. It is easy to look at these early writings and make the assumption that the writers simply got it wrong, we all make mistakes after all, and in the 17th Century these naturalists wouldn’t have been out in the field armed with a decent pair of binoculars to aid their observations. However, I don’t think that this was an unintentional error. I think it was very deliberate.
Moralistic code
Many of the early naturalist writers in Britain were highly religious. Indeed, Willughby’s mentor John Ray was a parson, and they were often very keen to impose their own moralistic code on their readers and the wider public. By recording in print the name Wheatear for this bird, they were effectively censoring the bird’s common name from the sensibilities of those who were well educated and rich enough to read their writings. The Wheatear was actually called (and should still be called) the White Arse! One of the most distinguishing features of a Wheatear is its white rump. It is unmissable as the bird flies away from you, and this led to it being named White Arse or White Bum in many parts of the country (from the original Anglo-saxon ‘hvit oers’). Unfortunately, that name proved to be too vulgar for some and so this small bird found itself censored! To give credence to the new name it was deliberately erroneously linked to feeding on wheat, in the writings of the time. The Northern Wheatear is an early
spring migrant to Britain, generally arriving at the beginning of March (but sometimes in February, too) and staying with us while it breeds, before departing again in late September or early October. During passage they can be found right around the country, particularly along our coasts, but they generally breed in the northern and western half of the country, although they also breed in the south and east of Kent.
Preferred habitat
Wheatears like the open country of moorland and heathland, as well as the grassy cliff tops of our coasts. These habitats not only provide lots of food, but also plenty of nest sites. These are generally cavity sites and can include crevices on rock faces, the gaps between boulders lying on the ground, man-made stone walls and Rabbit burrows. When on territory, the birds are conspicuous, often perching up on a low rock, surveying around them for food, intruders or potential predators. They accentuate this conspicuousness by making typical chat-like calls. If you are out in potential Wheatear habitat, the first indication of their presence is often a whistle-like call or a harsh ‘clack’ sound. If you hear this, scan about looking for a bird standing upright (and probably looking straight at you) on a small rise or a rock while it calls. They then normally confirm their identity by flying off to another low perch, flashing their distinctive white rump as they do so. The male Wheatear is a handsome and distinctively-marked bird with a light grey back and black wings. The crown continues the light grey of the back and is contrasted against a white supercilium (eye stripe) which separates it from a black eye mask and bill. The underside is a light pinky buff colour on the throat and top part of the breast, followed by white from the lower breast down. The female is less boldly marked than the male, with a grey-brown back and dark grey wings. There is a small bit of white above the eye that hints at a supercilium, but no black eye mask. In flight they are very noticeable, the darker wings of both sexes contrasting with the paler backs, but you don’t really notice this feature initially as your eye is immediately drawn to the bright white rump and tail that is capped off with a black inverted ‘T’. You may have heard other birders talking about a bird called the Greenland Wheatear. This is another subspecies of the Northern Wheatear that breeds, unsurprisingly, in Greenland, as well as in north eastern Canada. In spring, these birds migrate up through Europe and use the British Isles as a stopping-off point, before continuing onwards via Iceland to reach their breeding grounds in Greenland.
Greenland birds are slightly larger than our breeding population of Wheatears
Pinkish buff
Greenland birds are slightly larger than our breeding population of Wheatears and they also have more pinkish buff on their underside, extending down past the breast and over the belly, reaching as far down as the legs. Now, Wheatears can be a bit variable in the amount of pinkish buff they have on the underside, so it is not generally accepted that you can separate the two subspecies in the field just on plumage alone (the birds really need to be caught and measured to be certain and ringing records have confirmed that the birds do indeed pass through the UK), but, that said, it is always worth having a close look at the Wheatears you see in April and even in May (Greenland Wheatears pass through after the arrival of our breeding birds). If you do find one with more coloration on the underside than other birds, you may well be looking at a Greenland Wheatear. These birds are super travellers for such a small passerine. If travelling up from sub-saharan Africa, across mainland Europe, over Britain and onwards to Greenland wasn’t enough, there is evidence to suggest that many take a different return route, heading down the Atlantic coast of Canada before heading out across the vast Atlantic Ocean heading for Portugal via the Azores, before returning to Africa. This is an extremely challenging route, as the birds have to fly non-stop over open ocean for more than 1,500 miles! On their journeys, these Greenland Wheatears fly over desert, seas and oceans and polar ice, so, if you think you may have found one on your patch, take time to marvel at what lies ahead for this small bird, and wish it luck. Wheatears are brilliant little birds, they are well worth seeking out and watching, be they breeding or just passing through. They are full of character and are sure to brighten any birding day. They are also the only bird that I can think of that has had its name censored!