Lesser Whitethroat - BirdForum Opus

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.

References

1. 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/
2. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Lesser Whitethroat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Lesser_Whitethroat

External Links

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