Wheatear, Peak District National Park, England 21 Aug 2025

Wheatear, Peak District National Park, England

You don"t need to be a bird expert to notice the wheatear darting across open ground. These ground-dwelling songbirds belong to the Oenanthe genus and are known for their upright posture and habit of hopping or sprinting between perches. Despite the name, wheatears have nothing to do with wheat or ears—the name is a twist on the old phrase "white arse," pointing to the bird"s distinctive white rump found in most species.

© Ben Hall/Nature Picture Library

palette

Today in History

Aug 20, 2023International Lighthouse Weekend
A deadly coast
21 Aug 2024Wolf Island, Galápagos, Ecuador

More Desktop Wallpapers:

8 Nov 2024Glacial rivers, Iceland
King of the jungle? Nope
25 Oct 2025Martimoaapa Mire Reserve, Finland
28 Jan 2024Channel Country, Australia
Here we go!
15 Jun 2025Happy Fathers Day!
To the infinite and back
23 Sep 2024Sea otter
4 Dec 2023International Cheetah Day
Like paint on a canvas
Celebrating the tropics
Piecing together a better tomorrow
Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022)
A show of prehistoric hands
12 Jul 2024Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA
Twinkle twinkle, little bugs
5 Nov 2023Guy Fawkes Night
13 May 2025Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile
30 Jul 2025International Day of Friendship
Staying in the loop
20 Jun 2025Maasai giraffe mother with calf in the Serengeti, Tanzania
19 Feb 2025European river otter
London calling
Sep 11, 2023Patriot Day
20 Sep 2023Aqueduct, Arkadia Park, Poland
A view that’s out of this world
3 Aug 2025Blooming sunflowers
Last night of the Proms
Bungle beehives
18 Feb 2024World Whale Day