Colorful Throats

tanjabrittonwriter 51 Comments

I always claim that “my favorite bird is the one I’m looking at,” and though this statement is mostly true, it needs to be modified. While raptors and owls are majestic and imposing, their habit of eating other birds often leaves me feeling sad. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I have always gravitated toward the little birds. I even like the “LBJs,” the “little brown jobs” in birders’ lingo, despite the challenge or even frustration attendant to their identification.

I suspect that few of us would argue that color adds a wonderful touch to our lives, which is why I have chosen to share a few portraits of birds with colorful throats. All belong to the large family Muscicapidae, aka Old World Flycatchers (from Musca, “fly,” and capere, “to catch”). As the name implies, their nutrition consists of insects but they also feed on berries. A few Old World birds are sometimes observed in the New World but they are the exception. Distributed across 51 genera and comprising 345 species (according to Birds of the World), my very modest selection today represents only three species.

All three belong to different genera, but what also unites them is their German common names which focus on their colorful throats (Kehle in German means “throat,” and kehlchen is the noun’s diminutive form). I’m always gratified to encounter them during visits in Germany and hope you will enjoy them too. Whenever I am birding in Germany (which is basically daily 😊), I keep my eyes and ears open for another bird with a colorful throat, the Braunkehlchen, literally “brown throat,” known in English as Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra). Thus far, it has been elusive, which is likely due to the fact that its population in Germany has plummeted because of loss of habitat (the same old sorry story).

Without further ado, meet today’s colorful beauties.

The Rotkehlchen (literally “red throat”)/European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) might be among the best-known and most-beloved birds because of its indisputable cuteness and relatively easy identification. This species is sexually monomorphic, meaning that males and females look alike (unless examined closely during breeding season, when gender differences become obvious).

To enlarge a photo, click on it. To read its caption, hover cursor over it. 

European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)/Rotkehlchen
European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)/Rotkehlchen

The endearing Schwarzkehlchen (literally “black throat”)/European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) is sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females show different plumages, which is visible in my photos. I was also lucky to be able to see one of this couple’s offspring, shown in the third photo on the right.

European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola), female/Schwarzkehlchen, weiblich
European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola), male/Schwarzkehlchen, männlich
European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola), juvenile/Schwarzkehlchen, juvenal

The glorious Blaukehlchen (literally “blue throat”)/ Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) also shows differences between males and females, who are less colorful, but I have never knowingly seen or photographed a female.

Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica), male/Blaukehlchen, männlich
Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica), male/Blaukehlchen, männlich

Our lives are infinitely enriched by nature’s colorful creations, be they flowers or birds, and we need to do everything we can to become better stewards of this precious earth and all its denizens.

51 thoughts on “Colorful Throats”

  2. Definitely colorful throats! These are great photos, Tanja and thanks for the European birding lesson. I’m kind of with you on the little birds, mostly because there are so many different kinds and are challenging to identify.

    Are you in Germany now? I hope you have a great trip! I just returned from Amsterdam and Istanbul, and thought I saw much, there were not so many interesting birds. Maybe next trip…:)

    Travel safely!

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    • Thank you, Tina. I’m glad the little birds will always hold a special place in our hearts. 😊

      I’m not in Germany now but have been meaning to feature some of the avian friends I have encountered there.

      Your destinations sound intriguing, I hope you had a pleasant trip!

      Welcome back.

      Tanja

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  3. Not having heard of the whinchat, I searched and found that whin is another name for gorse and furze plants, while chat is the familiar word that’s a form of chatter.

    It’s interesting that while blue does dominate the throat of the Blaukehlchen, there’s a prominent white patch toward the top and a long reddish arc around the bottom of the blue. If this bird lived in the United States, it could be an emblem for the Fourth of July.

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    • Thank you for sharing the results of your etymological research. I also did not know the meaning of whinchat.

      Your observation on the color combo of the blue throat is spot on. I learned that this combo differs based on the different populations: In Northern Europe and the Alps, the subspecies L. svecica svecica show a red spot in the center of the throat while the subspecies L. svecica cyanecula with a white or no spot predominates in the rest of Europe, Eastern Turkey, and the Caucasus.

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  10. Lovely photographs of these beautiful birds, Tanja! And very interesting to see two unfamiliar birds along with a very familiar little friend. Much of gardening time is spent with a hopeful robin tagging along at the moment… 🙂 I wholeheartedly agree with your feelings on our stewardship of our amazing planet.

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    • Thank you, Ann. It’s lovely to imagine you doing your planting and pruning in the company of a delightful little robin. I hope (s)he will bring you much cheer and maybe even stay through winter (some populations don’t migrate, but I don’t know if that’s the case where you are).

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  11. Very colorful little birds. At least their names closely represent what they look like, thanks to some literal Germans. I think your story was entreating us all to visit Germany for the birding.

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  12. Those Bluethroats are gorgeous and so is the European Robin. Such sweet little birds.

    Personally, I think the smaller birds are far more interesting that the larger ones like the eagle and kestrel for example.

    Unless they’re sitting very still on a branch or the ground they are much harder to photograph.

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    • Sorry for the delayed response, Vicki. Somehow, your comment ended up in my Spam folder. 😦

      You are right, all three species shown here are very sweet. Some birds’ characters are just more mellow than others’.

      I know that birds don’t chose their diet, but even though hawks and falcons are amazing flyers and impressive to watch, I have always felt a greater affinity to bird that eat seeds insects, rather than other birds or mammals.

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    • Vielen Dank, liebe Maren.
      Wie schön, daß Du das ganze Jahr über von der Präsenz der Rotkehlchen beglückt wirst.
      Glücklicherweise gibt es in der Nähe meiner Familie in Deutschland ein Naturschutzgebiet, wo ich zur rechten Jahreszeit in den Genuß der Schwarz- und Blaukehlchen komme. Ich hoffe, das wird auch so bleiben.
      Dir ein gutes Wochenende,
      Tanja

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  14. Three great little birds. I’m most familiar with the robin (indeed, I spotted one just a few minutes ago!). The stonechat isn’t very hard to see in the right habitat, but the bluethroat is a massive rarity here. I’ve never seen one, and your photos remind me just what a treat I’m missing. One day, maybe?

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    • Thank you, Mr. P.
      I’m so glad that you get to enjoy the company of robins, I hope it (or they) will bless you with their presence throughout winter. Seeing birds on bleak winter days is essential to our survival. 😊

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    • Thank you, Maria. I’m always thrilled when a bird doesn’t mind my presence and continues to do whatever it’s doing. In the case of the bluethroat, all he wanted to do was sing, which was fine with me. 😊

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  17. The Bluethroat is a glorious little bird. The blue and orange combination reminded me of our native flower, the Scarlet Pimpernel, that blooms in both of those colors. The first time I saw an image of this Robin, it was on a Christmas card I received from friends in England. It took me some time to figure out that your Robin and our American Robin were quite different birds.

    I blogging friend in England had a European Robin that took up residence in the family garden. It was quite the social thing and would follow them around. Eventually, they named it Nugget, since it seemed a perfect little nugget of color.

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    • This particular Bluethroat was so very accommodating and just kept singing and singing . . .

      Robins on European Christmas cards are what Cardinals on American ones. They are darling little birds and your friends’ experience encapsulates that very well.

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  18. You captured an impressive variety of small, but colourful birds, Tanja. I share your sentiments regarding the majestic birds of prey. I also delight in viewing our little feathery friends, even the ones that are not so colourful.

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  19. Nice pix and info! Kind of an aside, but when it comes to identifying birds, I’m old school with my Peterson field guide. I suppose there’s an app to do it in 1/10th the time but I enjoy the challenge 😎 🦆

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    • Thank you, Darryl.
      I always carry my field guide with me when I’m out birding, love to leaf through it.
      What I find helpful to help ID a bird’s voice (or several birds’ voices) is the Merlin App, especially when the birds are hiding behind copious leaves.

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  20. Familiar with the European Robin (which I think rivals our own Robins when it comes to colorful beauty), but the others are new to me. Really, really, did I mention really like that Bluethroat. Thanks for sharing.

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    • Thank you for visiting and commenting.
      Like you, I vividly remember that first encounter with a Bluethroat. Luckily, they don’t seem too shy and I have been lucky to see more since then. I will never grow tired of seeing (and hearing) them.

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