Shriek of the Week: Whitethroat

Hedgerow R2D2

The scratchy warble of the whitethroat is one that many of us may associate, consciously or not, with a walk in open country.

‘Scratchy’ is the word invariably deployed to describe their song, and fits well with the kind of tangled and thorny places in which we are likely to encounter it. 

It also has the distinction of being the closest of any British birdsong to the sound of R2D2 in Star Wars.*

The source of the rapid song may not be immediately obvious. Whitethroats are small, and never happier than in the thick of a briar.

However, they are busy, inquisitive birds, often on the move, and usually give themselves away as they flit between patches of cover.

From time to time, whitethroats lift off vertically into the air as they sing. It’s a simple display flight that reportedly gave rise to an old country name: ‘singing skyrocket’.

When they are perched up, or performing those aerial manoeuvres, you may notice the small size, longish tail, rufous-tinged wing feathers and, of course, the pale throat, which contrasts with the grey of the head.

Common whitethroats appear quite suddenly in mid-April, having spent the winter in the Sahel region of Africa, south of the Sahara.

For their summer territories they are drawn to low hedgerows, nettle beds and corners of bramble, all across Britain and Ireland.

They are one of the first species to thrive when areas are allowed to ‘scrub up’, although they tend to move on if the vegetation gets taller (at which point their relative the lesser whitethroat often moves in)

Whitethroats go on making that scratchy song well into the summer months, while raising one or two broods of offspring.

Towards the end of the summer family groups can be noticeable along a path, with the adult birds scolding any passing human with harsh, dirty calls.

By the end of September, almost all our whitethroats have left our shores again.

* although the ultimate prize goes to this budgie.

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Easily confused with: Lesser Whitethroat

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🌅 Link of the week

Last weekend, RTE broadcast their annual dawn chorus show, featuring live birdsong from across Ireland and Wales. It’s a lovely couple of hours of gentle listening and commentary (thanks Neil Povey for the tip).

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Upcoming events from Birdsong Academy

On Friday evening, we’re holding an evening walkshop at Herstmonceux Castle Estate in East Sussex, UK to listen for cuckoos and owls and lots more.

Next Saturday we are Up With The Birds for an hour on Zoom - free to all.

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Thank you for all your comments and messages, do keep them coming.

Is there a bird you would like to hear featured? Suggest one in a comment below (and remember you can see an A - Z of all species featured so far).

Until next week!
~ Charlie