Birdsong field guide
Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca curruca
A small, secretive Old World warbler characterized by its greyish-brown plumage and distinctive dark ear-coverts that form a mask-like appearance.
What it sounds like
A loud, monotonous rattling song often likened to a shaking box of matches, and a sharp 'teck' alarm call.
Field notes
- It is a long-distance migrant, with populations breeding in Europe often wintering in East Africa or Southern Asia.
- Unlike its close relative the Common Whitethroat, it lacks chestnut-colored fringes on its wing feathers.
- The nest is a fragile, translucent cup made of grass and roots, typically hidden deep within thorny vegetation.
- While primarily insectivorous during the breeding season, it consumes high volumes of berries and fruit prior to autumn migration.
- Taxonomic revisions recently moved this species from the genus Sylvia to Curruca based on molecular phylogenetic data.
Habitat
Dense scrubland, thickets, tall hedgerows, and woodland edges with abundant low cover.
Range
Breeds across temperate Europe and Central Asia; winters in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and India.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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