Whinchat

Saxicola rubetra

A charismatic, small songbird with a striking orange, brown and white plumage, that flits through meadows and heathlands across Europe and beyond, catching insects on the wing.

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Visual Identification

Appearance

The Whinchat is a small, sprightly bird with a distinctive appearance. Males sport a striking combination of rufous-brown upperparts, black wings with white patches, and a bold white eyebrow. Their orange-buff breast contrasts sharply with a white belly and undertail.

Females and juveniles are less vibrant, lacking the male's bold markings. They have brown upperparts with buff streaking, a less prominent eyebrow, and a paler underside.

Females don’t always have white wing patches; if they are present, they are much smaller than males. Both sexes have black tails with white bases.

After breeding, Whinchats undergo a full moult before developing a new plumage ahead of migration. In winter plumage, males look similar to females, but their white wing patch is present all year round.

Size

Length

12cm to 14cm

Wingspan

21cm to 24cm

Weight

14g to 22g

Colours

Male Female

Primary Colour

Brown White

Secondary Colour

Black Buff

Beak Colour

Black

Leg Colour

Black

Primary Colour (Female)

Brown

Secondary Colour (Female)

Buff White

Beak Colour (Female)

Black

Leg Colour (Female)

Black

Habitat and Distribution

Habitats

Woodland

The Whinchat is not typically found in Woodland habitats.

Garden

The Whinchat is not typically found in Garden habitats.

Wetland

The Whinchat is not typically found in Wetland habitats.

Coastal

The Whinchat is not typically found in Coastal habitats.

Urban

The Whinchat is not typically found in Urban habitats.

Farmland

The Whinchat can be found in Farmland habitats.

Grassland

The Whinchat can be found in Grassland habitats.

Desert

The Whinchat is not typically found in Desert habitats.

Tundra

The Whinchat is not typically found in Tundra habitats.

Rainforest

The Whinchat is not typically found in Rainforest habitats.

Mountain

The Whinchat is not typically found in Mountain habitats.

Savanna

The Whinchat is not typically found in Savanna habitats.

Distribution

Whinchats inhabit open areas with low vegetation and scattered bushes or trees. They are found across much of Europe and western Asia, breeding in northern regions and migrating to sub-Saharan Africa for winter.

In the UK, they are summer visitors, arriving in April and departing by October. They are more common in northern and western Britain, favouring upland areas with bracken and gorse.

Sightings are increasingly limited to the Scottish uplands, northern England and central Wales, Exmoor, Dartmoor and the Isle of Man, where they breed in grasslands, heathlands and open meadows. One exception is Salisbury Plain in southwest England, where small breeding populations exist.

Elevation Range

Sea level to 3,000 meters

Climate zones

Temperate, Subarctic

Distribution Map

This map gives you a rough idea of where you might spot a Whinchat. The coloured areas show countries where these birds have been seen.

A few things to keep in mind:

Birds might not be everywhere in the coloured areas, for example, they may be present around the coast of that country
Where birds live can change with seasons and available food
This map is quite simple - it doesn't show exact locations

We're working on making our maps even better! Soon, we hope to show you:

More detailed maps for bigger countries, including state and region
How birds move around during different seasons