[hweet-eer, weet-] 
| any of several small, chiefly Old World thrushes of the genus Oenanthe, having a distinctive white rump, esp. O. oenanthe, of Eurasia and North America. |
| wheat·ear (hwēt'îr', wēt'-) n. A small thrush (Oenanthe oenanthe) having a gray back, buff breast, and white rump, found in open areas of most northern regions. [Back-formation from earlier wheatears (taken as pl.) : probably by folk etymology from white + arse.] |
wheatear
(genus Oenanthe), any of a group of 19 species of thrushes belonging to the family Turdidae. They resemble wagtails in having pied plumage and the tail-wagging habit (with body bobbing). Wheatears are about 15 cm (6 inches) long and have comparatively short tails, often with T-shaped markings. Most are black and white or black and gray; some have yellow touches; and each has a white rear (modified to "whetear"). Wheatears are strong-flying residents of open, usually dry and rocky, regions of Eurasia and Africa. The common wheatear (O. oenanthe) breeds also in Alaska, Iceland, Greenland, and northeastern Canada.
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