White-throated Robin
[order] PASSERIFORMES | [family] Muscicapidae | [latin] Irania gutturalis | [UK] White-throated Robin | [FR] Iranie a gorge blanche | [DE] Weisskehl-Sanger | [ES] Petirrojo turco | [NL] Perzische Roodborst
Subspecies
| Genus | Species | subspecies | Breeding Range | Breeding Range 2 | Non Breeding Range |
| Cossyphicula | gutturalis | ||||
| Irania | gutturalis | EU | sc | ne, e AF |
Physical charateristics
Larger than European Robin, with similar form and structure except for slightly longer wings and tail. Quite robust and bulky chat, more recalling robin-chats of Africa than Palearctic relatives.
Diagnostic combination of rather long black tail, white vent, and rufous-buff flanks. Male striking, with black face-mask contrasting with white throat, narrow white supercilium, dark blue-grey upperparts, and rich rufous-orange chest.
Female much less colorful, with brown-grey head and back. Sexes dissimilar, little seasonal variation.
Diagnostic combination of rather long black tail, white vent, and rufous-buff flanks. Male striking, with black face-mask contrasting with white throat, narrow white supercilium, dark blue-grey upperparts, and rich rufous-orange chest.
Female much less colorful, with brown-grey head and back. Sexes dissimilar, little seasonal variation.
Listen to the sound of White-throated Robin
[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/W/White-throated Robin.mp3]
Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto
| wingspan min.: | 27 | cm | wingspan max.: | 30 | cm |
| size min.: | 16 | cm | size max.: | 17 | cm |
| incubation min.: | 12 | days | incubation max.: | 14 | days |
| fledging min.: | 9 | days | fledging max.: | 14 | days |
| broods: | 1 | eggs min.: | 3 | ||
| eggs max.: | 5 |
Range
Eurasia : Southcentral
Habitat
Breeds in warm dry continental lower-middle latitudes, in largely in stony arid uplands, on more or less steep slopes or in ravines of mountain steams and narrow stony gullies, often with scattered junipers, almonds, and other shrubs, or rank grasses on edge of mountain steppes, especially at 2000 m.
Reproduction
Half of May in Armenia. Nest site in lower part of shrub or small tree, on stump, or in tree crevice.
Nest, cup of dry grass leaves, twigs, and bark, lined with vegetable down and hair, often some feathers, bits of rag, paper, sheep’s wool, etc.
4-5 eggs, incubation 13-15 days, by female, though male may take over when female is away from nest.
Nest, cup of dry grass leaves, twigs, and bark, lined with vegetable down and hair, often some feathers, bits of rag, paper, sheep’s wool, etc.
4-5 eggs, incubation 13-15 days, by female, though male may take over when female is away from nest.
Feeding habits
In breeding season at least, mainly insects. Feeds mainly on ground, turning over leaves to search, also in trees and bushes.
Conservation
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Irania gutturalis is a patchily distributed summer visitor to Turkey and parts of the
Caucasus (with a tiny new population in Greece), with Europe accounting for less
than half of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is large
(>410,000 pairs), but its trend between 1970-1990 was unknown. Although the species
was stable in Armenia and Azerbaijan during 1990-2000, the stronghold population
in Turkey increased, and the species probably underwent a small increase overall.
Irania gutturalis is a patchily distributed summer visitor to Turkey and parts of the
Caucasus (with a tiny new population in Greece), with Europe accounting for less
than half of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is large
(>410,000 pairs), but its trend between 1970-1990 was unknown. Although the species
was stable in Armenia and Azerbaijan during 1990-2000, the stronghold population
in Turkey increased, and the species probably underwent a small increase overall.
Migration
Migratory, wintering in rather restricted area of East Africa, mainly in Kenya in plateau country north and east of highlands and in Tanzania mainly in north-east and dry interior. Arrives in Turkey from mid-April, with continuing arrivals into May; arrival apparently synchronous across entire range. Most leave breeding grounds by end of August. Nowhere common on passage, probably because east Mediterranean and north-east Africa are usually overflown.
Distribution map
