Sylviid warblers · Perching birds
Greater Whitethroat
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Curruca communis
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Voice
Song
Noé Ferrari
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
Song
Benoît Van Hecke
How to recognize it
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Smaller than a sparrow
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Grey-brown above, ash-grey head in the male
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White throat, chestnut shoulder patches
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Often sings from low shrubs and flicks up; hoarse call "wed-wed"
About the species
The Greater Whitethroat keeps to low, busy movement in bushes and scrub, where it slips about more than it perches in the open. Its song is quick and scratchy, and the call is rough and nasal, often heard as "wed-wed" or "woid-woid".
It often sings while lifting into the air, then drops back into cover. During alarm it gives a long rough "tschehr". The species is migratory, leaving southern breeding areas from September into November and spending the winter in tropical Africa, Arabia, or India.
Look for it in open country, farmland, forest edges, and thickets along ditches, clearings, and field margins. It nests low in shrubs or brambles and feeds mainly on insects, but also takes berries and other soft fruit.
Where to find
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In scrubby thickets at the edge of mature parks, where it sits low and gives a hoarse wed-wed call.
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On overgrown vacant lots and old clearings with young bushes — watch for the song flight, a quick rise above the grass tops.
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Along field edges and weedy ditch banks, moving from shrub to shrub while hunting insects.
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In tall grass and nettle patches near paths, tucked close to the ground and most often found by its scratchy song.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Curruca communis Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Common whitethroat Encyclopedia article