wheatear, (genusOenanthe), any of a group of approximately 20 species ofthrushes belonging to the familyMuscicapidae. (Someclassifications place thesebirds in familyTurdidae.) Theyresemble wagtails in having pied plumage and the tail-wagging habit (with body bobbing). Wheatears are about 15 cm (6 inches) long and have comparatively short tails, often with T-shaped markings. Most are black and white or black and gray; some have yellow touches; and each has a white rear (modified to “whetear”). Wheatears are strong-flying residents of open, usually dry and rocky, regions ofEurasia andAfrica. Thecommon wheatear (O. oenanthe) breeds also inAlaska,Iceland,Greenland, and northeasternCanada.