Whitethroat

The whitethroat (Sylvia communis), a member of the warbler family, is a summer visitor to Europe, spending the winter months in Africa south of the Sahara. Its range extends eastwards to central Asia. In the United Kingdom it can be found virtually anywhere except city centres and at high altitude. Its preferred habitat is places with thick growths of brambles, nettles and similar rough vegetation, so it can usually be seen on common and abandoned land, and in scrubby wood margins.

The whitethroat has amber conservation status in the United Kingdom, as a species whose numbers have given some cause for concern but which is not in immediate danger.

Appearance

The whitethroat is 13-15 centimetres (5-6 inches) in length, and of slim build with a longish tail. Male whitethroats have a bluish-grey crown, are brown or greyish brown above and buff below, apart from the white throat that gives the bird its name. In summer the buff colouring is shaded with pink and the crown becomes greyer. The wings are reddish-brown and streaked.

Female whitethroats share much of the colouring of the males, although the crown is more brown than grey and there is no pink shading. Males and females are less easy to tell apart out of the breeding season, but this is when a European birdwatcher is less likely to see whitethroats anyway.

Behaviour

The whitethroat has a jerky, undulating flight, usually low to the ground and ended by diving into cover. Male whitethroats perform a song-flight display when they arrive at their breeding grounds, this being an upward flight and a sudden descent, warbling throughout. On the ground, the tail is flicked and cocked as the whitethroat heads for and emerges from cover.

As might be expected from a warbler, the whitethroat has a variety of calls and songs, including the warble mentioned above. There are also sharp “check” sounds and quiet but fast “wheet-wheet-whit-whit-whits”. Male whitethroats can often be seen singing while perched on a branch or other tall plant.

Whitethroats feed on insects, larvae and spiders, with berries being added when they ripen.

Breeding

Whitethroats arrive at their breeding grounds in late April or early May, when the above-mentioned display is performed. The nest is built close to the ground in thick vegetation, or even directly on the ground. It consists of loosely woven grass and roots, sometimes lined with spiders’ webs.

A clutch of four to six eggs is laid in May, these being incubated by both partners in turn for around 13 days, and the feeding of the young birds is also a shared duty. The nestlings leave the nest after 12 days or so. A second brood is common, usually in June. Whitethroats leave for Africa in September.

© John Welford