Whinchat

The Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) is a small, migratory passerine bird, characterized by its short tail and an affinity for hopping rapidly on the ground. It exhibits a strong supercilium and mottled brownish upper parts, with a pale throat and breast, and a distinctively blackish tail with white bases to the outer tail feathers. During the breeding season, the male sports an orange-buff throat and breast, adding a splash of color to its otherwise muted tones.

Identification Tips

To identify the Whinchat, look for the following features: a strong white supercilium and malar stripe, brownish upper parts with darker mottling, and a pale buff to whitish belly. The male, in breeding plumage, has a blackish face mask encircled by the white supercilium, a bright orange-buff throat and breast, and small white wing patches. Females are duller with a browner face mask and smaller or absent white wing patches. Adult males retain white wing patches throughout the year.

Habitat

The Whinchat favors open grassy country with rough vegetation and scattered small shrubs. It thrives in habitats with high plant species richness and heterogeneous vegetation structure, often found in low-elevation areas with a high density of perches and tussocks.

Distribution

This species breeds across Europe and western Asia, from Ireland to the Ob River basin and from northern Norway to the Caucasus Mountains. It winters in central Africa, from Senegal to Kenya and south to Zambia. The Whinchat's migration is marked by important stopover sites that aid in crossing barriers like the Sahara and the Mediterranean Sea.

Behaviour

The Whinchat is largely solitary, forming small family groups in autumn. It exhibits a typical behavior of perching on elevated spots to scan for food and display territorial signals. Breeding occurs in late April and May, with the nest built on the ground by the female. Both parents feed the young, which fledge at about eighteen days old and remain dependent for another fortnight.

Song & Calls

The Whinchat's main call is a soft "hue-tac-tac," with the male's song being a whistling, crackly but soft melody, often including mimetic phrases from other bird species' songs. The song is used for breeding from April to July and is occasionally heard on the wintering grounds.

Breeding

Nesting occurs in dense low vegetation, with the female laying a clutch of four to seven eggs. Incubation lasts about thirteen days, and fledging takes place around eighteen days after hatching. The species is known to breed once they reach one year of age.

Similar Species

The Whinchat can be confused with the European stonechat or the Siberian stonechat, but it can be distinguished by its conspicuous supercilium, whiter belly, and longer wingtips, which are adaptations to its long-distance migration.

Diet and Feeding

The diet consists mainly of insects and other small invertebrates, with occasional fruit consumption. Whinchats perch on elevated spots to make sallies for ground insects or flying insects, displaying their white tail and wing flashes while perched.

Conservation status

The Whinchat is classified as "Least Concern" by the IUCN, though some populations, particularly in Western Europe, are in decline due to agricultural intensification. Conservation efforts focus on maintaining suitable habitat and mitigating the impacts of land use changes.