The buff-breasted wheatear (Oenanthe bottae), also known as Botta's wheatear or the red-breasted wheatear, is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Asir Mountains. The species is named after Paul-Émile Botta.
Buff-breasted wheatear | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Illustration by John Gerrard Keulemans; O. bottae on top, O. heuglini on bottom | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Muscicapidae |
Genus: | Oenanthe |
Species: | O. bottae
|
Binomial name | |
Oenanthe bottae (Bonaparte, 1854)
|
Heuglin's wheatear (O. heuglini) and the rusty-breasted wheatear (Oenanthe frenata) were formerly considered to be conspecific.[2]
Resembles the larger and darker northern wheatear, but with a duller reddish breast and broader black tail tip. The sexes are alike.[3]
It is native to the Asir Mountains of western Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland. It is most common at altitudes over 1800 m.