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  Profile

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  In flight

Songbirds

Whinchat

Saxicola rubetra

• rare
• 55 km/h
• Least Concern

Perches on top of fence posts and tall grass like it's posting a flyer. Disappearing fast from European meadows.

Population

20.5–28.1 million mature individuals globally (decreasing trend)

Habitat

Open, rough low-vegetation habitats with scattered perches: wet meadows, pastures, bogs, upland grassland, bracken-covered hillsides, heath, and young conifer plantations (until trees reach ~5-6 years old); requires low herb cover for nesting and prominent perches for singing/hunting

Fun fact

The Whinchat's name comes from "whin" (gorse) and its scolding "tic-tic" call note, reflecting its habit of perching conspicuously atop gorse and other low shrubs to sing and watch for insect prey.

Range

Breeds across Europe and western Asia from Ireland and northern Portugal east to the Ob River basin near Novosibirsk, and from northern Norway south to central Spain, Italy, northern Greece, and the Caucasus; a full long-distance migrant that winters in sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Kenya and south to Zambia

Diet

Primarily insectivorous (roughly 80–90% insects), also taking spiders, snails, and worms, plus small amounts of fruit such as blackberries in autumn; typically hunts by dropping from an exposed perch to catch prey on the ground

Size

0.13 m

Wingspan

0.22 m

Lifespan

6 years