Whilst birding the Jubail area in late
March I came across a ‘vittata’ form of Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka.
This is only the second time I have seen this form in Saudi Arabia with the
first on my local patch of Dhahran. The position of the ‘vittata’ is not
completely clear but is generally considered a colour morph of Pied Wheatear.
Alternatively it may reflect an ancient hybridization between O. pleschanka and
Black-eared Wheatear O. hispanica east of the Caspian. HBW says “the
apparent scarcity of individuals displaying the ‘vittata’ phenotype in other
areas where the two species hybridize, yet its relative abundance beyond the
easternmost range of O. hispanica melanoleuca, give greater credence to
the colour morph theory”. The white-throated form, ‘vittata’ is similar to
Eastern Black-eared Wheatear but the mantle is black. They form a very small
percentage of Pied Wheatears making up only 1-2% of the population.
