Urban birds at Hull. 51. Whitethroat

 

The scratchy phrase of a singing Whitethroat, with the tone of an aggressive question,  is one of the harbingers of summer. This warbler of brown and grey tones, with a bright white throat and eye ring, and warmer brown wings. When singing, males lift their crown and puff their throats, together with its long tail it gives the impression of a slim bird with a large head. They sing from prominent perches, and can jump into a display flight in song. Characteristic raspy, repeated alarm call, when disturbed. It lives in hedgerows, ditch and river banks and scrubby, open areas. 

Singing male, Sculcoates, 23/05/2022.

Status and Distribution in Hull

Whitethroats are common summer migrants. In the city, any scrubby patch will hold a pair. They arrive in the second half of April and quickly settle in their territories. By mid June they will have a batch of fledglings and start a second brood. There are pairs at Sculcoates, along the Barmston Drain, many pairs at Noddle Hill, MKM railway triangle, and on the outskirts of the city. They leave by the end of September.

Carrying spider silk as nest material. Sculcoates, 27 April 2024.

Fledgling, Sculcoates, 19/06/2021.

Fledgling, 7 June 2025. Note the darker iris and browner head.

Conservation

Whitethroats are Amber listed. The species's winter quarters are just south of the Sahara, in the Sahel. In 1968 an intense drought in the area resulted in a crash of 75% of the Whitethroat population due to extremely poor winter survival. Some further droughts in the 80s affected populations. Although numbers  recovered to some extent, they never got back to the levels in the 60s and there is an indication of more recent population declines.

More information

Broughton, R.K. 2002 Birds of the Hull area.

BTO Birdfacts. Whitethroat.