About the Bluethroat
The bluethroat is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in wet birch wood or bushy swamp in Europe and across the Palearctic with a foothold in western Alaska. It nests in tussocks or low in dense bushes. It winters in the Iberian Peninsula, the northern half of Africa, and in southern Asia. The bluethroat, and similar small European flycatchers, are often called chats.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The male plumage is brightest in spring and summer; after the summer moult, the fresh new feathers have pale tips which obscure the throat pattern. These tips then abrade in late winter and early spring to reveal the brighter bases of the feathers. Females of all subspecies usually have just a blackish crescent and very limited blue on an otherwise cream throat and breast, though older individuals can develop more strongly male-like plumage.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Bluethroat sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Macao SAR China.
When to see it
Peak activity in September · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Thrush NightingaleLuscinia lusciniaAn adult thrush nightingale is about 16 centimetres (6.3 in) long with a wingspan of approximately 18 centimetres (7.1 in).
Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchosThe common nightingale is slightly larger than the European robin, at 15–16.5 cm (5.9–6.5 in) length.
Side by side: Bluethroat vs Common Nightingale · Bluethroat vs Thrush Nightingale
Learn the Bluethroat for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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