Common whitethroat

Sylvia communis

The common whitethroat is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds throughout Europe and across much of temperate western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in tropical Africa, Arabia, and Pakistan.
Whitethroat Warbler (Curruca communis) I love this plucky and vociferous little bird, and my winters are always just a little bit sadder for its absence, once it migrates. I don't usually keep the audio on my videos because I dislike the wind my microphone inevitably picks up, even if there isn't any! But I've kept it on this video so you can hear the Whitethroat's song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsoJvKHP46o Common whitethroat,Geotagged,Summer,Sylvia communis,United Kingdom

Appearance

This is one of several "Sylvia" species that has distinct male and female plumages. Both sexes are mainly brown above and buff below, with chestnut fringes to the secondary remiges. The adult male has a grey head and a white throat. The female lacks the grey head, and the throat is duller. The whitethroat's song is fast and scratchy, with a scolding tone.
Whitethroat Warbler (Sylvia communis) One of my favourite small birds, but don't let the size fool you. Every year around April time, having gorged on berries from Salvadora bushes in the Sahel, just south of the Sahara Desert, these birds make a jouney close to 6,000 miles to the UK, only to repeat the journey in the opposite direction just a few months later, crossing the Sahara twice in the process. With little time to spare once they arrive in the UK they quickly get down to the business of breeding, with the first eggs usually laid in May. The male builds several nests for the female to choose from, and she lines the one she chooses with fine grasses and hair. Both parents incubate the eggs, but the female does most of the work as she always incubates throughout the night. Whitethroats are mainly found in scrubby habitats, preferring low cover such as brambles, nettle patches and the base of hedgerows, feeding mainly on invertebrates such as beetles and caterpillars. They will feed up on berries once more during the late summer/early autumn before they return to Africa. I often find myself playing hide and seek with them, hoping one will emerge at just the right spot for a moment, just as this immature female one did. Common whitethroat,Curruca communis,Geotagged,Spring,Sylvia communis,United Kingdom

Behavior

The hoarse, a little bit nasal call sounds like "wed-wed" or "woid-woid". The warning cry is long-pulled, rough "tschehr" which resembles that of the Dartford warbler.
Common whitethroat - Curruca communis Animal,Animalia,Aves,Bird,Bulgaria,Chordata,Common whitethroat,Europe,Geotagged,Nature,Passeriformes,Passerine,Pirin mountain,Spring,Sylvia communis,Sylvidae,Wildlife

Habitat

This is a bird of open country and cultivation, with bushes for nesting. The nest is built in low shrub or brambles, and 3-7 eggs are laid. Like most warblers, it is insectivorous, but will also eat berries and other soft fruit.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Status: Least concern
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilySylviidae
GenusSylvia
SpeciesS. communis
Photographed in
Belgium
Bulgaria
United Kingdom
Netherlands