male	male female European distribution adult on stem

Identification

The clean white throat is distinctive but not diagnostic so you must also look for the rich rusty-red colour of its wings. The fairly long, white-edged tail is also a useful feature as is the obvious white eye-ring which together with the raised crown feathers often gives the Whitethroat a startled appearance. The White throat may be confused with a Spectacled Warbler but the Whitethroat has more contrasting tertials.

Habitat

Breeds in hedgerows and scrub on farmland, heathland and woodland margins.

Behaviour

Performs a memorable song flight, fluttering up from the breeding bushes then dropping down head-first with the tail trailing vertically behind it.

Migration

A migrant to sub-Saharan Africa wintering from Senegal in the east to Ethiopia in the west and even as far as South Africa.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Common Whitethroat is classed as Common: common species, including species that are certain or probable escapees from captivity when occurring in the British Isles. (Note that rarity levels are currently applied nationally and may not reflect local variations in abundance.)

Lilleshall, Shrops 25/05/2009	Lilleshall, Shrops 25/05/2009	Pleinmont, Guernsey 05/07/2009	Finchley, London 02/05/2009	garden, Saudi Arabia 24/09/2009
garden, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 20/09/2009	Landguard NR, Suffolk 06/09/2009	Landguard NR, Suffolk 06/09/2009	desert bush, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 31/08/2009	desert bush, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 31/08/2009

 View all pictures of Common Whitethroat

Common Whitethroat breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Britain
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Latvia
Lichtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Moldova
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine

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