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Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca) Alternate name(s): "Desert Lesser Whitethroat" German name(s): "Klappergrasmücke" Size: 12.5-13.5 cm; wing span: 16.5-20.5 cm Body Mass: 7-18 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.14-0.17

Europe: Family Group 21 Family Group 21 Table European Pied Flycatcher Collared Flycatcher Semicollared Flycatcher Spotted Flycatcher Red-breasted Flycatcher Lesser Whitethroat Common Whitethroat Western Orphean Warbler Western Subalpine Warbler Dartford Warbler Sardinian Warbler Barred Warbler Eurasian Blackcap Garden Warbler Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Lesser Whitethroats are small insectivore birds. Their plumage is cryptic. The head is lead-grey, with dark-grey ear coverts. The throat is white, while the rest of the front gradually darkens from off-white on the chest to grey (belly, vent, undertail). The nape of the neck, back and wing coverts are brownish-grey. The uppertail has a stronger brown tint than the back. During the breeding season the plumage may show less brown tints than during winter. The irises are brown. The straight bill is grey, with a lighter base on the lower mandible. The legs and feet are grey. Juveniles can have white "spectacles".

Taxonomy, classification See Lesser Whitethroat at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Lesser Whitethroat is available HERE . Lesser Whitethroats are a migratory species that breeds in most of Europe, except the south-western parts, but including England and southern Scandinavia, south-eastern Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, Asia Minor and eastwards into temperate western and central Asia. They spend the northern winters in sub-Saharan Africa, on the Arabian peninsula and in south-western Asia, up to India in the East. In Europe Lesser Whitethroats are found as breeding migrants from north-eastern France, the Benelux countries and England via central Europe and southern Scandinavia into all of eastern and south-eastern Europe, including the Balkans. They do not circumnavigate the Alps and hence are not present in Italy.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "curruca" D. Wilczynska reports spotting Lesser Whitethroats, race "curruca", in Poland in July 2015, where they were found to be breeding at the time. They were spotted in the same location again in the timeframe April-June 2016. A. Sarok reports finding a Lesser Whitethroat, race "curruca", 5 km North of Temerin, Serbia, in May 2016. H. Dahlem-Senger spotted a Lesser Whitethroat, race "curruca", in Eltville, Hessen, Germany, in May 2021. J. Pires reports finding Lesser Whitethroats, race "curruca", near Mora, Evora, Portugal, in the time frame September/October 2022. Lesser Whitethroats, nominate race "curruca", were also observed by us in Oman.

Photos

Race "curruca"

This race is also called the "Western Lesser Whitethroat".

MALE

Frontal view of a male Lesser Whitethroat; the determination of the sex was made by behaviour, not by physical appearance (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Frontal view of a male Lesser Whitethroat; the determination of the sex was made by behaviour, not by physical appearance - this is the bird whose calls were recorded in May 2016 (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Lateral view of a male Lesser Whitethroat; the determination of the sex was made by behaviour, not by physical appearance - this is the bird whose calls were recorded in May 2016 (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Lateral view of a (probably male) Lesser Whitethroat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2015]

Near-dorsal view of a (probably male) Lesser Whitethroat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2015]

Near-dorsal view of a male Lesser Whitethroat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, April 2016]

Dorsal view of a male Lesser Whitethroat; the determination of the sex was made by behaviour, not by physical appearance (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Lesser Whitethroat; the determination of the sex was made by behaviour, not by physical appearance (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a female Lesser Whitethroat; the determination of the sex was made by behaviour, not by physical appearance (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Frontal view of a Lesser Whitethroat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2015]

Near-lateral view of a Lesser Whitethroat (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2015]

Lateral view of a Lesser Whitethroat (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[5 km North of Temerin, Serbia, May 2016]

Lateral view of a Lesser Whitethroat searching for insects (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2015]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a juvenile Lesser Whitethroat (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Frontal view of a juvenile Lesser Whitethroat with its crest erected (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Lesser Whitethroat looking backwards (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Lateral view of a juvenile Lesser Whitethroat looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Apr - Jul

Eggs: 3 - 7

Incubation period: ?

Fledging age: ?

Nest

Type: Basket

Material: Twigs, grass stems

Height above ground: 1 - 3? m

Lesser Whitethroat nest in a garden shrub right next to the wall of a house (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Eggs

Size: 17 x 13 mm

Colour: Grey-white, with dark-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

View of the 6 eggs in a Lesser Whitethroat nest (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, May 2016]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary

Food, Diet

Lesser Whitethroats are primarily insectivores, but will occasionally also take soft fruit or berries.

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.

deslwht_dw_20160504.m4a	curruca (Poland)	Territorial calls (male)	© DW
deslwht_dw_20160523.m4a	curruca (Poland)	Territorial calls (male)	© DW
deslwht_dw_20160523_2.m4a	curruca (Poland)	Territorial calls (male)	© DW
deslwht_dw_20190427.m4a	curruca (Poland)	Territorial calls? (at nest)	© DW
deslwht_jp_20251023.m4a	curruca (Portugal)	?	© JP

More Lesser Whitethroat sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

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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