Bluethroat

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Bluethroat in the UK

Bluethroat is a scarce passage migrant that has bred in Britain on only a few occasions. Two forms occur. Red-spotted birds are the more frequent, arriving mainly in May and again in autumn. White-spotted birds from further south in Europe are scarcer and come earlier, chiefly in March and the first half of April, and have been assessed as a national rarity since 2021. Territorial white-spotted males have appeared in wetlands in eastern England in recent years. Records come from every month, but spring and autumn are the peaks. It is on Schedule 1, so any breeding attempt is protected by law.

Where and when to see a Bluethroat

For red-spotted birds, be on the east coast in mid to late May when the wind is in the east with rain or mist. Shetland, Fair Isle, Orkney, the Isle of May, the Northumberland and Yorkshire coasts and north Norfolk are the regular areas. Autumn birds turn up in the same places in September and October. Look along the foot of hedges, ditches, reedbed edges and weedy field margins. Birds keep low, run like a small thrush and dart into cover. Early morning is best, when they feed in the open on paths.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Wet scrub, willow thickets.
Diet: Insects.
Field note: Robin-like song; blue throat.

How to identify a Bluethroat

The size and shape of a Robin, but longer-legged and more upright, with a bold whitish stripe over the eye. The feature that every age and sex shows is the tail: rusty-red panels at the base on each side, flashed as the bird flies or cocks its tail. Spring males have a blue throat and breast, bordered below by black, white and chestnut bands, with a red or white central spot depending on the race. Females and young birds have a cream throat framed by a black necklace, sometimes with a trace of blue. The upperparts are plain earth-brown.

Call and song

Calls are a hard 'tack' and a soft whistled 'hweet'. Migrants are usually quiet. The song, given by the few males that hold territory, is a long, varied run of ringing notes full of mimicry. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• European Robin: Robin has an orange face and breast, no stripe over the eye and a plain brown tail.
• Common Redstart: Redstart has an all orange-red tail that it shivers constantly, and no pale eye stripe or dark necklace.
• White-spotted Bluethroat: White-spotted is a race of the same species: spring males have a white spot, or none, in the blue throat and arrive weeks earlier than red-spotted birds.

Related guide Bird migration in Britain.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Bluethroat is a Rare tier bird, worth +8 points when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5. It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it is an offence to disturb it at or near the nest. We blur the location of every sighting of this species.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Thrush NightingaleRare · Wet scrub (rare passage)
• White-spotted BluethroatRare · Wet scrub (very rare race)
• Common NightingaleUncommon · Dense scrub (S. England summer)
• Arctic WarblerRare · Coastal scrub (vagrant)
• BluetailRare · Coastal scrub (autumn vagrant)
• Blyth's Reed WarblerRare · Coastal scrub (very rare)

Bluethroat: quick answers

Where can I see a Bluethroat in the UK?

At coastal migration points on the North Sea, from Shetland to Norfolk, after easterly weather in May or autumn. There is no site with resident birds. Now and then a singing male returns to the same reserve for several springs, and wardens arrange viewing from a hide or path.

Is the Bluethroat rare in the UK?

It is scarce but annual. Numbers vary a lot with the weather: a spell of easterlies in May can drop several on one stretch of coast, while a westerly spring may bring very few. As a breeding bird it is extremely rare here.

What does a Bluethroat eat?

Insects and their larvae, spiders and other small invertebrates, picked from damp ground and low vegetation. It adds berries and seeds in autumn. Migrants often feed along muddy ditch edges and path sides.

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