Alternative name: Common Whitethroat
- Sylvia communis
Identification
14 cm (5½ in); a large Sylvia Warbler
Pale legs and pale bill
Adult male
- Grey head
- White eye-ring
- White throat.
Female has brownish head with off-white throat
Confusion Species
Distribution
They breed throught Europe and most of Asia (including China and India, also most of the [[Middle East.
Migratory, U.K. birds wintering south of the Sahara.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 4 sbspecies[1]:
- S. c. communis :
- Western Europe and Scandinavia to North Africa; winters to northern Africa
- S. c. volgensis:
- S. c. icterops:
- Western Siberia to Iran and Asia Minor; winters to eastern Africa
- S. c. rubicola:
Habitat
Scrubland and hedgerows are favoured.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists almost entirely of insects and invertebrates.
Vocalisation
<flashmp3>Sylvia communis (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. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved September 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Greater Whitethroat. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Greater_Whitethroat
External Links