The whitethroat is a medium-sized warbler, about the size of a great tit. It has quite a long tail which it flicks and cocks as it darts rapidly in and out of cover. The male has a grey head, a white throat and a brown back, and is buff underneath. It is a summer visitor and passage migrant, with birds breeding widely, although it avoids urban and mountainous areas. It winters in Africa, south of the Sahara.
Key ID Features:
Both sexes have a dull brown back with brighter chestnut panels on the wings and a long tail.
The male's head is greyish whilst the female is browner.
The clear white throat is distinctive and the white eye ring helps to separate from the generally greyer Lesser Whitethroat.
Generally heard singing scratchily from concealment in low scrub but will sit exposed occasionally or fly up in song.
Overview
Scientific name: Sylvia communis.
Family: Warblers and allies (Sylviidae)
Where to see them:
Found over most of the UK. Look in any piece of suitable habitat in summer.
Seen in UK:
From mid-April to early October
What they eat
Insects, and berries and fruit in autumn.
Text (c) RSPB, used with permission
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Photographer: Tim Tapley
