Habitat
Breeds in low scrub thickets along streams in tundra. Winters in thick cover near water.Back to top
Food
Insects; some seeds and fruits in fall and winter.Back to top
Nesting
Nest Placement
Nest Description
Cup of woven sedges, grasses, rootlets, and fine twigs, lined with hair. Placed on ground in thicket or clump of grass.
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. |
Behavior
Gleans insects from low vegetation and ground, turns over leaves and soil, and hawks flying insects.Back to top
Conservation
Bluethroat are found across Europe, Asia, and the far north of western North America. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 2 million, with 1% breeding in the U.S. The species rates a 10 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score and is not on the 2014 State of the Birds Watch List. There is no information on population trends of Bluethroat in Alaska or Yukon, but it is not considered threatened in North America, and worldwide populations appear stable.Back to top
Credits
Guzy, Michael J. and Brian J. McCaffery. (2002). Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA.
North American Bird Conservation Initiative. (2014). The State of the Birds 2014 Report. US Department of Interior, Washington, DC, USA.
Partners in Flight (2017). Avian Conservation Assessment Database. 2017.
Sibley, D. A. (2014). The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, USA.