Conservation status: Amber
The whitethroat is a medium-sized warbler, about the size of a great tit. It has quite a long tail which it flicks and cocks as it darts rapidly in and out of cover. The male has a grey head, a white throat and a brown back, and is buff underneath. It is a summer visitor and passage migrant, with birds breeding widely, although it avoids urban and mountainous areas. It winters in Africa, south of the Sahara.
Latin name
Sylvia communis
Family
Warblers and allies (Sylviidae)
Where to see them
Found over most of the UK. Look in any piece of suitable habitat in summer.
When to see them
From mid-April to early October
What they eat
Insects, and berries and fruit in autumn.
Population
| Europe | UK breeding* | UK wintering* | UK passage* | | - | 945,000 territories | - | - |