Flycatchers and chats · Perching birds
Whinchat
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Saxicola rubetra
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Voice
Song
Noé Ferrari
Song
Kalle Nibbenhagen
Song
Pascal Christe
How to recognize it
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Sparrow-sized, short-tailed
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Brown upperparts with darker mottling, whitish belly
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Orange-buff throat and breast
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Strong white supercilium; male with blackish face mask and white wing patches
About the species
The whinchat spends much of its time low over open ground, hopping in short bursts and flicking its tail and wings as it moves. It often waits on a post, shrub, or tall stem before dropping to catch prey.
Its call is a dry "tac-tac", and the song is a soft mix of whistles and scratchy notes. Males sing most in the breeding season and may add phrases copied from other species.
It uses rough grassland, pasture, boggy places, and other open areas with scattered perches. It feeds mainly on insects, but also takes spiders, worms, snails, and berries, especially in autumn. This migratory species breeds across Europe and western Asia and winters south of the Sahara.
Where to find
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On weedy vacant lots and rough edges of city outskirts — perched on a lone shrub or post, then dropping to the ground after insects.
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Along canal banks, pond edges, and damp rough grass with tussocks — especially where a low bush gives a song perch, the male often sings from the top.
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On grazed meadow strips beyond the city and at sparse shrub-lined field edges — keeps to open ground, flicking its tail while scanning for prey.
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In tangled growth by railway embankments and neglected road verges — easy to notice when it hops from a wire into the grass and back again.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Saxicola rubetra Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Whinchat Encyclopedia article