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 colored 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 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.

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Breeding

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Breeding

Global Range: BREEDING: Eurasia and western Alaska (central Brooks Range west and south to Seward Peninsula), northern Yukon (Johnson and Herter 1989). NON-BREEDING: Asia and Africa.

Length: 14-16 cm. Weight: 13-26 g. Wing length: 6,8-8,5 cm. Wingspan: 20-24 cm.

Length: 15 cm

Weight: 21 grams

• Terrestrial
• Freshwater
• Marine

It inhabits the wet meadows and reed-beds with shrubs; the shrubby river and lake shores; the riparian forests; and the alpine belt with the stones and pygmy birch thickets up to 2500 m. On migration it visits the thickets of tall weeds, groves, forest-belts, gardens and kitchen-gardens.

Comments: Bushes, undergrowth, and scrub in Arctic tundra, swamps, dense or open forest, and open country (AOU 1983). Low willow scrub. Stays low to ground. BREEDING: Nests in thickets (near water in Arctic willows and scrub birches) on ground in small hollow or in clump of grass near lake edge (Terres 1980). Also in tundra with little cover (Harrison 1978). Nests on ground or low in willow bush (Johnson and Herter 1989).

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Birds from Alaska probably winter in southeastern China; most depart northern Alaska by late August-early September (Johnson and Herter 1989).

Comments: Eats mostly insects--beetles and flies and their larvae, some aquatic insects; also earthworms small snails, some seeds and berries (Terres 1980). Nestlings are fed mostly insects prior to fledging (Johnson and Herter 1989).

The Bluethroat is common or in places abundant breeding migrant. The nest is built on the ground under the grass or bush from the dry leaves, twigs, grass and moss and is lined with thin grass, rootlets and hair. Nest is built by female only for 3-7 days. Clutches of 3-6 eggs is in mid-April – early July. Only female incubates for 11-15 days. Both parents feed juveniles fledged at 11-14 days old, in late May – end July. Both adults and juveniles on summer eat insects, just in the end of summer birds eat the berries also. Two broods per summer, repeated breeding after losing of first nest is common. Autumn migration starts in August, birds leave the most of breeding areas in mid-September – end October.

Eggs laid June-July. Clutch size clutch of 4-7 (often 6). Incubation by female, 14-15 days. Young tended by both parents, leave nest at 14 days usually when still unable to fly (Terres 1980, Harrison 1978). Fledging occurs usually by mid-July in Alaska.

Regular passage visitor and winter visitor.

Least Concern.

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N1B - Critically Imperiled

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N3B - Vulnerable

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure