Thebluethroat (Luscinia svecica) is a small passerinebird in theOld World flycatcher family. It is amigratory insectivorous species breeding in wetbirch wood or bushy swamp in Europe and across thePalearctic with a foothold in westernAlaska. It nests in tussocks or low in dense bushes. It winters in theIberian Peninsula, the northern half of Africa, and in southern Asia (among others including theIndian subcontinent). The bluethroat, and similar small European flycatchers, are often calledchats.
The bluethroat is similar in size to theEuropean robin at 13–14 cm. It is plain brown above except for the distinctive tail, brown with black outer corners and red basal side patches. It has a strong white supercilium. The males have a striking throat pattern, with a vivid glossy blue throat bordered below with (usually) a narrow black band (but see subspecies, below), and a broad brick-red band below that; additionally there is often a central spot, either red or white, in the middle of the blue throat; see subspecies below for details. Despite the distinctive appearance of the males, recent genetic studies show only limited variation between the forms, and confirm that this is a single species.[2] Moult begins in July after breeding and is completed in 40–45 days, before the birds migrate.[3]
The male has a varied and very imitative song.[4] Its call is a typical chatchack noise.
Breeding distribution of the bluethroat subspecies
Eleven subspecies are currently accepted by IOC,[9] but only seven by Shirihai.[10] They differ in the extent and intensity of the blue on the throat in the males, whether the blue contains a central spot or not, and if it does, the colour of the spot; they also differ significantly in their breeding habitat and ecology.[10][11]
L. s. svecica(Linnaeus, 1758) (red-spotted bluethroat) – breeds in subarctic shrub tundra from Scandinavia east to western Alaska, winters in southern Asia in India, Pakistan, Middle East. Throat blue with ared spot.
L. s. namnetumMayaud, 1934 – breeds in lowland reedbeds in western France, winters SW Europe and NW Africa. Small, and short-winged; plumage asL. s. cyanecula.
L. s. cyanecula(Meisner, 1804) (white-spotted bluethroat) – breeds in lowland reedbeds in central Europe from northern and eastern France northeast to the Baltic States, and southeast to Ukraine, winters in Africa. Throat blue with awhite spot.
L. s. azuricollis(Rafinesque, 1814) – breeds northern Spain. Throat blue withno spot or only asmall white spot.
L. s. volgae(Kleinschmidt, 1907) – breeds in lowland western Russia, winters in NE Africa and the Middle East. Intermediate betweenL. s. svecica,L. s. pallidogularis, andL. s. cyanecula, but usually with a red spot. Treated by Shirihai as a synonym ofL. s. svecica.[10]
L. s. magna(Zarudny &Loudon, 1904) (syn.L. s. luristanicaRipley, 1952[10]) – breeds in mountains in eastern Turkey, the Caucasus, and northern Iran, winters in NE Africa and the Middle East. Throat blue withno spot, and no black band between the blue and the broad red band. The largest subspecies, also with a stronger bill.
L. s. pallidogularis(Zarudny, 1897) – breeds in lowland southeastern Russia and northern Kazakhstan east to the Tien Shan, winters in southern Asia. Much asL. s. svecica but blue slightly paler, and red spot often slightly paler rufous.
L. s. abbotti(Richmond, 1896) – breeds Afghanistan to NW Himalaya, winters NW India. Dark, blue throat with a small red (or occasionally white) spot; bill long and slender.
L. s. saturatior(Sushkin, 1925) – breeds southern Siberia, northern Mongolia. Similar toL. s. svecica, and treated by Shirihai as a synonym of it.[10]
L. s. kobdensis(Tugarinov, 1929) – breeds western Mongolia, western China. Similar toL. s. pallidogularis, and treated by Shirihai as a synonym of it.[10]
L. s. przevalskii(Tugarinov, 1929) – breeds central China. Similar toL. s. pallidogularis, and treated by Shirihai as a synonym of it.[10]
The male plumage is brightest in spring and summer; after the summer moult, the fresh new feathers have pale tips which obscure the throat pattern. These tips then abrade in late winter and early spring to reveal the brigher bases of the feathers.[10] Females of all subspecies usually have just a blackish crescent and very limited blue on an otherwise cream throat and breast, though older individuals can develop more strongly male-like plumage.[10] They are not currently known to be distinguishable to subspecies on plumage, except for individuals with the most male-like plumage (females of the smallL. s. namnetum and largeL. s. magna can be identified on careful measurement).[10] Newly fledged juveniles are freckled and spotted dark brown above and below for a few weeks after fledging, then moulting to first-winter plumage, in which both sexes resemble adult females (and like them, are not identifiable to subspecies).[10][11]
A disjunct population ofL. s. svecica also breeds at high altitudes in the northern Carpathian Mountains in the Czech Republic, altitudinally and ecologically separated fromL. s. cyanecula at low levels in the same area; these birds migrate to India in winter like otherL. s. svecica, not to Africa asL. s. cyanecula.[10][12]
^abcdefghijklShirihai, Hadoram; Svensson, Lars (2019).Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds. volume 1: Passerines: Larks to Warblers. London Oxford New York New Delhi Sydney: Helm. p. 243–247.ISBN978-1-4729-3757-5.
^abSvensson, Lars; Mullarney, Killian; Zetterstroem, Dan (2023-03-16).Collins Bird Guide. William Collins.ISBN978-0-00-854746-2.
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