Tuesday 18 August 2009

Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)

OTHER NAMES: Whitethroat
Latin Etymology: Sylvia ("woodland sprite") communis ("common")
Adult female Common Whitethroat (subspecies S. c. communis) at Geddington, Northants - September 2015

Featured Subspecies: Sylvia communis communis 
Weight: 12-18g  /  Length: 13.5cm  /  Wingspan: 18-23cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The common whitethroat is one of our more common rural warblers, found in thickets and hedgerows. It will often flit in and out and can best be identified by it's namesake white throat and its tufted head. The main problem with it perhaps is that catching a good glimpse enough to make sure it isn't anything rarer sometimes takes a little while. Photographing it is one of the easier warbler prospects due to it's fondness for perching out in the open, but still will dart into cover quickly if it feels threatened.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sylviidae
Genus: Sylvia
SubspeciesS. c. communis, S. c. volgensis, S. c. icterops, S. c. rubicola   

- Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - Common Summer migrant (1,100,000 territories) 
 - Birds seen at sites including Rutland WaterRainham Marshes and Geddington.

No comments:

Post a Comment