search

The Lesser Whitethroat is a little Warbler on size resembles the Leaf Warblers. The upperparts are mostly grey; underparts are whitish; with dark-grey crown and darker "bandit mask" through the eyes and the white throat. It is resembles the Greater Whitethroat from which is distinguished by lesser size, lack of rusty on the rump and wings, dark-grey crown and dark legs. The individual variations appear on darker and paler specimens, especially it appreciable on the crown and the mask colors; some birds have buffy tinge on all body. The underwings are buffy. The sexes are almost identical. In autumn plumage the adult birds have unclear supercilium, white strips above and below eyes; often plumage have buffy tinge especially on the inner primaries. Juveniles are very similar on adults but usually “mask” is not so expressive; inner primaries buffy (not rusty as on the Greter Whitethroat) tinged; the base of the bill is pale, bluish. The eyes of adult birds are brown pale mottled; of juveniles are dark-grey or grey-brown. Weight 10-15 grams, length 12-14, wing 5,8-7,2, wingspan 16-21 cm.

Biology

The Lesser Whitethroat is common breeding migrant, and abundant passage migrant. It inhabits bush thickets in deserts, semi-deserts and steppes; the river valleys, edges of deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests; on the plain and in the mountings up to 1500 m. On migration it occurs in forest-belts, reed beds, tall weeds thickets. It arrives singly or in small groups in early – end April (even in March in Southern Kyzylkum), but in northern areas in early – mid-May only. Spring migration finishes in the end of May. Breeds in separate pairs at 30-100 m from each other. Nest is built in bush or in small tree at 0.3-1.5 m high; from thin twigs, grass stems and leaves and is lined with thin rootlets, bast strips, and sometimes with some hair and vegetation fluff. The nest is built for 5-11 days; the male begins to build it, after females appearance the female lines the nest; but sometimes the male finishes the building alone. Clutches of 3-6 (usually 5) eggs is in first decade of May – early July. Both parents incubate for 11-12 days and feed juveniles, which fledge at 10-11 days old, in early June – first decade of July. It treated by some as two nested per year, but it's not proved. Autumn migration starts from early – mid-August. Majority of birds migrate in September, latest autumn migrants recorded in early – mid-October (some birds linger up to early November).

References

В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург, Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.