Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 5.5 in
14 cm - Weight
- 0.5–0.8 oz
15–22 g
Other Names
- Gorgebleue à miroir (French)
- Pechiazul común (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Male Bluethroats from Alaska to northern Europe have red centers to the blue throat. Those in central and southern Europe have white throat centers or entirely blue throats.
- The Bluethroat is one of the handful of birds that breed in North America and winter in Asia. Exactly where the American birds go in winter is unknown.
- The male Bluethroat is quite striking with its blue and red throat and its flashing reddish tail. However, it normally is very secretive and hard to see as it skulks through thick vegetation. It is easy to see only while it is singing or performing flight displays. When seen in the open, it often jerks or holds its tail up and quickly fans it open to flash the rufous patches at the base.
Habitat
Mountains
Breeds in low scrub thickets along streams in tundra. Winters in thick cover near water.
Food
Insects
Insects; some seeds and fruits in fall and winter.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 5–7 eggs
- Egg Description
- Blue or bluish green with fine reddish speckling.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless, with eyes closed, and with long gray down.
Nest Description
Cup of woven sedges, grasses, rootlets, and fine twigs, lined with hair. Placed on ground in thicket or clump of grass.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Ground Forager
Gleans insects from low vegetation and ground, turns over leaves and soil, and hawks flying insects.
Conservation
Least Concern
No information on population trends in Alaska or Yukon. Not considered threatened.
Credits
- Guzy, M. J., and B. J. McCaffery. 2002. Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica). In The Birds of North America, No. 670 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.