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19

Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) German name(s): "Braunkehlchen" Size: 12-14 cm Weight: 13-26 g

Europe: Family Group 19 Family Group 19 Table European Robin Common Redstart Black Redstart Whinchat Common Rock Thrush Blue Rock Thrush Common Nightingale Northern Wheatear Isabelline Wheatear White-throated Dipper Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Whinchats are small robin-like birds. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. Males Whinchats have a dark chocolate- or coffee-brown crown streaked with white and very prominent broad white supercilia. The chin and chest are orange-buff, while the rest of the front (belly, vent, undertail coverts) is white to off-white. The back and mantle are the same dark chocolate brown as the head, with broad light-brown edges on the wing coverts. The flight feathers and the tail are entirely dark brown. Females are a lighter shade of dark-brown. Especially the sides of the head are lighter than the males' and the supercilia, chin, sides of the neck and chest are light-brown to buff. Not only the wing coverts have light-brown to buff edge lining, but the tail and flight feathers also have thin light-brown leading edges. The irises of both sexes are dark-brown. The straight slender bill is dark-grey. The legs and feet are also dark-grey. Juveniles have a plainer plumage than adults, with some streaking on the chest.

Taxonomy, classification See Whinchat at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the ebird.org website. The global distribution of the Whinchat is available HERE . Whinchats are a migratory Eurasian species of small "Old World Flycatchers". Apart from a few small patches, Whinchats do not breed in western and south-western Europe, except northern England and Scotland. Their breeding grounds are mainly in central, northern, eastern and south-eastern Europe, from Germany to the North of the Alps and basically all of Scandinavia (except a small coastal fringe in the North) eastward via the Balkans, the northern coastline of the Black Sea and the area around the Caucasus mountains into western and central Asia up to about the river Ob, including high geographic latitudes. Everywhere else in Europe, northern Africa, Asia Minor, the Middle East, and around the Caspian Sea into central Asia they can be found during their migration. They spend the northern winters in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, with a small population also staying on the north-western African coastal fringe. With some exceptions, Whinchats are found only as breeding migrants in all mountainous regions of Europe and in eastern, northern and south-eastern Europe. Elsewhere on the continent they are found only during migration. Whinchats have a preference for grassland, rough pasture, heath or bracken with scattered shrubs. They can be found in lush pasture, too.

Sightings Click here for sighting information D. Wilczynska reports first spotting a pair of Whinchats near Brok, on the river Bug, Masovia, Poland, in May 2016, and in Biebrza NP, Poland, in May 2017. All photographic and audio information presented on this page has kindly been contributed by D. Wilczynska. S. Cuturilov reports spotting a Whinchat on Zlatibor mountain, south-western Serbia, in June 2017.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Lateral view of a male Whinchat; note the white supercilia (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Biebrza NP, Poland, May 2017]

Lateral view of a male Whinchat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Near-dorsal view of a male Whinchat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Dorsal view of a male Whinchat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

FEMALE

Pair of Whinchats; male on the left, female on the right (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Frontal view of a female Whinchat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Near-lateral view of a female Whinchat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Lateral view of a female Whinchat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Lateral view of a female Whinchat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Pair of Whinchats; male below, female above with drooping wings as often seen in robins (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Pair of Whinchats; male below, female above (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Food, Diet

Whinchats are mostly insectivores, but may take fruit or berries in autumn.

Pair of Whinchats; male on the left, female on the right - the male has caught a caterpillar (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Brok, river Bug, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

whnchat_dw_20160529.m4a

(Poland)

Territorial calls (male)

© DW

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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