Northern Wheatear

A striking small bird with a distinctive white rump and a black band at the end of its tail that forms an upside-down T shape, which can be seen when it is flying or sitting. Breeding males have blue-grey backs, black wings, and pale orange-brown underparts, along with a black mask around their eyes. Females and birds in autumn are browner with buff-coloured tones. It often bobs and flicks its tail while sitting on rocks, posts, or low plants. This bird is an amazing long-distance traveller that breeds across northern Europe, including the highlands of Britain, and spends the winter in sub-Saharan Africa. It prefers open areas with short plants and scattered perches, especially moorland, rough grassland, and rocky ground. It arrives in Britain from late March and leaves by October. This species makes one of the longest migrations of any small songbird, with some groups flying across vast areas of ocean.