The bluethroat belongs to the chat family and, like the bigger thrushes, is classified as a Turdidae species by scientists. The Latin word for thrush is turdus. The Turdidae family contains over 300 distinct species of chats and thrushes.
What kind of bird is a bluethroat?
Small and lean, the bluethroat is a songbird. The adult male has mostly dark brown top parts with significantly lighter greyish brown underparts in breeding plumage. The upper tail is dark grey with a rufous patch on either side of it, while the wings are a simple mid-brown coloration. Over the eye, the supercilium is striped bright white. Deep blue with a rufous red upward turned crescent shape divides the blue patch in the area of the upper breast just behind the lower mandible, chin, and throat.There is a narrow black and white band at the bottom of the blue patch, and below that is another region that is rufous or orange brown and transitions to the light grey of the remaining underparts. The legs are long, slender, and dark brown to black in coloration. The bill is black, and the eyes are a dark brown colour. Although the adult male’s non-breeding plumage is similar, the distinctive blue and rufous neck and colourful upper breast are much less noticeable since they are hidden by the pale feather tips. The mature female often mimics the male’s non-breeding hues with the addition of white cheeks, a pale neck, and a black breast band that is commonly speckled with blue.The upperparts, head, and breast of juveniles are mostly dark brown with streaks of buff to rufous patterns; the entire underparts are pale grey. Rust red shading can be seen on the rump and tail base.
What kind of noise does a Bluethroat make?
The bluethroat, a master of mimicry, sings a strong, beautiful song that is frequently repeated and laced with short notes and softer, extended trills. It frequently imitates other bird species that are local residents.
What food consumes a Bluethroat?
The bluethroat eats tiny insects, caterpillars, spiders, and insect larvae when foraging on the ground, frequently in tight cover and among leaf litter. It also consumes seeds and berries, albeit primarily in the fall.
Distribution
From Scandinavia all the way down to the Russian Far East and south into China, the bluethroat breeds throughout the northern part of the palearctic zone in northern Europe and Asia.They move south during the winter to southern Europe, Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, South and East Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. North West Alaska is also home to a tiny breeding population. There are twelve subspecies, and the only significant variation among them is in the colour of the throat, which can range from having white dots or no throat markings at all to having a completely blue throat. Various regions in the north of the palearctic, including Siberia, the Kamchatka Peninsula on the Russian Pacific coast, Mongolia, and Central China, are home to the subspecies. During the northern winter, they migrate to sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian sub-continent, and eventually to Myanmar and Thailand.
Tips for spotting signs
The bluethroat loves damp and wet environments, including moist forests and heaths, but is also seen in reedbeds and marshy areas. Even taking into consideration the variations within the subspecies, the male’s summer plumage, often known as his breeding plumage, is unique while being similar in size, shape, and weight to the European Robin. It flies low, quickly, and flittingly, typically across close spaces between cover patches.
Breeding
Depending on the area, breeding occurs from April through July. One clutch of five to seven pale green, brown-speckled eggs is laid, and the female typically incubates them alone for about thirteen days until the eggs hatch. Fledging often takes place two weeks afterwards. A few European populations have two broods every year. The deep, cup-shaped nests are often made by the female among tussock grass or moist scrubland.
