Oenanthe pileata

This striking wheatear is a common sighting at recently burnt grasslands such as those often occuring in Suikerbosrand and Rietvlei Nature Reserves in Gauteng. Although the adults are easy to separate from similar species, the juvenile can cause a good deal of confusion (so study them carefully before thinking you have seen a rare vagrant).

I first recorded this species in May 2010 at Rietvlei Nature Reserve near Irene.