Difference between revisions of "Lesser Whitethroat" - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 23:18, 14 February 2018

Ssp. curruca
Photo by IanF
Billingham, UK

Sylvia curruca

Identification

12·5–14 cm (5-5½ in)

Grey back
Whitish underparts
Grey head with a dark mask
White throat
Dark legs
Dark bill

Similar Species

Photo by IanF
Billingham, UK

Greater Whitethroat

Distribution

Europe, and in western and central Asia. Accidental to Alaska with one record.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Ssp. blythi
Photo by Alok Tewari
Sultanpur National Park, India, Jan-2017

There are 3 subspecies^[1]:

S. c. curruca:

Breeds Europe east to western Russia (approximately to the Ural Mountains), the Caucasus, Turkey, and western Iran; winters primarily in northeastern Africa, less commonly west to Senegambia

S. c. blythi:

Eastern Siberia to northern Altai and northern Mongolia

S. c. halimodendri:

Breeds central Asian steppes, from the lower Ural River and Transcapia east to western Mongolia; primarily winters in southwestern Asia (southeastern Iran to northwestern India), but perhaps also in eastern Africa

Habitat

Open country and cultivation, with large bushes for nesting and some trees.

Behaviour

Diet

Diet includes insects, berries and other soft fruit.

Breeding

The nest is built in low shrub or brambles, and 3-7 eggs are laid.

Vocalisation

<flashmp3>Sylvia curruca (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Wikipedia

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Lesser Whitethroat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lesser_Whitethroat

External Links

Search for photos of Lesser Whitethroat in the gallery

Search for videos of Lesser Whitethroat on BirdForum TV

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[Image:Lesser WhitethroatIMG 4210ao.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Ssp. ''curruca''<br />Photo by {{user|IanF|IanF}}<br /> Billingham,  [[UK]]]]
-;Sylvia curruca
+;[[:Category:Sylvia|Sylvia]] curruca
-[[Image:Lesser_Whitethroat.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by LeeDavis]]
 ==Identification==
-Unlike many typical warblers, the sexes are almost identical. This is a small species with a grey back, whitish underparts, a grey head with a darker "bandit mask" through the eyes and a white throat. It is slightly smaller than the Whitethroat, and lacks the chestnut wings and uniform head-face color of that species.
+·5–14 cm (5-5½ in)
+*Grey back
+*Whitish underparts
+*Grey head with a dark mask
+*White throat
+*Dark legs
+*Dark bill
+====Similar Species====
+[[Image:Whitethroats.jpg|thumb|450px|right|Photo by {{user|IanF|IanF}}<br />Billingham, [[UK]]]]
+[[Greater Whitethroat]]
 ==Distribution==
-The Lesser Whitethroat, Sylvia curruca, is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds in temperate Europe, except the southwest, and in western and central Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, wintering in Africa just south of the Sahara, Arabia and India.
+[[Europe]],  and in western and central [[Asia]]. Accidental to [[Alaska]] with one record.
 ==Taxonomy==
+====Subspecies====
+[[Image:lesser_whitethroat_alok_2.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Ssp. ''blythi''<br />Photo by {{user|aloktewari|Alok Tewari}}<br /> [[Sultanpur National Park|Sultanpur National Park]],  [[India]], Jan-2017]]
+There are 3 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
+*''S. c. curruca'':
+:*Breeds [[Europe]] east to western [[Russia]] (approximately to the Ural Mountains), the [[Caucasus]], [[Turkey]], and western [[Iran]]; winters primarily in northeastern [[Africa]], less commonly west to [[Senegambia]]
+*''S. c. blythi'':
+:*Eastern [[Siberia]] to northern Altai and northern [[Mongolia]]
+*''S. c. halimodendri'':
+:*Breeds central Asian steppes, from the lower Ural River and Transcapia east to western [[Mongolia]]; primarily winters in southwestern [[Asia]] (southeastern [[Iran]] to northwestern [[India]]), but perhaps also in eastern [[Africa]]
 ==Habitat==
-This is a bird of fairly open country and cultivation, with large bushes for nesting and some trees.
+Open country and cultivation, with large bushes for nesting and some trees.
 ==Behaviour==
-The Lesser Whitethroat's song is a fast and rattling sequence of tet or che calls, quite different from the Whitethroat's scolding song.
+====Diet====
+Diet includes insects, berries and other soft fruit.
-Like most "warblers", it is insectivorous, but will also take berries and other soft fruit.  The nest is built in low shrub or brambles, and 3-7 eggs are laid.
+====Breeding====
+The nest is built in low shrub or brambles, and 3-7 eggs are laid.
+====Vocalisation====
-==Bird Song==
 <flashmp3>Sylvia curruca (song).mp3</flashmp3><br />
 ''[[Media:Sylvia curruca (song).mp3|Listen in an external program]]''
+==References==
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug17}}#Wikipedia
+{{ref}}
 ==External Links==
-*[http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showgallery.php?mcats=all&what=allfields&si=Sylvia+curruca View more images of Lesser Whitethroat in the gallery]
+{{GSearch|Sylvia+curruca}}
-[[Category:Birds]]
+<br />
+{{Video|Lesser_Whitethroat}}
+[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Sylvia]][[Category:Bird Songs]] [[Category:Videos]]