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Northern Wheatears winter in Africa south of the Sahara in dry, open grassy places, and when they return to the British Isles, they also prefer to breed in open areas with very sparse vegetation, such as moorland, downland and mountainsides. As breeding birds they are very local in southern and midland England, but more common in Wales and Scotland. However you can see Wheatears almost anywhere in spring, because their migration strategy means that they spend a great deal of time resting and feeding at stopover sites to maintain their energy levels between flights.
Those flights are truly remarkable. The Northern Wheatear is the only passerine (perching bird) wintering in African but breeding in the New World. Some birds which breed in Alaska make a round trip of 26,000km (15,600miles), an astonishing feat for a bird weighing about an ounce.
The earliest birds to reach the UK in March may well breed here or in Scandinavia, but while they’re busy breeding, another wave of birds heads through the British Isles in late April and May. These sturdier birds with longer wings are of the Greenland race and time their stopovers so that they don’t arrive too early in Greenland when snow cover might prevent them from feeding. So, Northern Wheatears are well worth looking out for in April and May wherever you live in the UK… who knows where they will eventually breed.
If you fancy searching for wheatears where you live, then there’s more information on these websites to help you identify them: