Listen to the whitethroat
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the whitethroat
The whitethroat is a bird in the family Sylviidae (order Passeriformes). Adults have a wingspan of about 20 cm and weigh around 14 g.
What does the whitethroat sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as song and sylvia communis. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The greater whitethroat or common whitethroat (Curruca communis) is a common and widespread Old World warbler which breeds throughout Europe and across much of temperate western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in tropical Africa, Arabia, and Pakistan.
Related birds in the genus Sylvia
More from the family Sylviidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a whitethroat sound like?
You can hear 6 recordings of the whitethroat on this page, including its song and sylvia communis. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
What family does the whitethroat belong to?
The whitethroat (Sylvia communis) belongs to the family Sylviidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) (W1CDR0001503 BD6) – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Botanical school, Jardin des Plantes, Paris… by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Marçay, Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France by Benoît Van Hecke – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Baden Powellweg, Westduinpark, Den Haag, Zuid-Holland… by Sander Pieterse – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Jardin alpin, Paris, Paris, Île-de-France, France by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Sylvia communis by Justin Jansen – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q26974 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Common whitethroat – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland – CC BY-SA 2.0