Bluethroat

Luscinia svecica (Linnaeus, 1758)

2014-05-06 Tyumen region, Yalutorovsk	© Dmitry Porshnev

Description

The Bluethroat is a little bird similar in size to the Sparrow. The male is unmistakable identified by the blue bib edged below with successive black, white and rust coloured borders. Some races have the red spot in the centre of the blue bib; others have the white spot in the centre of the blue bib. The size of the bib and the ratio of the blue, rust, white and black colors are quite variable. Females usually have just a blackish crescent with some blue and rusty feathers (it is expressed very variable on individuals) on the cream throat and breast. Both sexes have the strong white or whitish supercilium and the rusty tail with the broad dark-brown terminal band; the central pair of the tail feathers is plain dark brown. Newly fledged juveniles are freckled and spotted dark brown above and rust with dark-brown color of the tail. In the end of summer juveniles become similar to adults. In autumn plumage birds have a much of rusty tones; males have a bit of blue on the bib; females have more less blue or not have at all. The autumn juveniles and spring (till the middle of the summer) first-year birds are distinguished from the older birds by the wing bar formed by the light buffy borders of the greater coverts. Weight 13-26 grams, length 14-16, wing 6,8-8,5, wingspan 20-24 cm.

References