Sylvia communis
This widespread species breeds throughout Europe and Central Asia. A few populations nest in North Africa. All populations of whitethroats are migratory, spending the winter in sub-Saharan Africa. Some populations make this migration in two steps, moving further south before migrating to Africa.
The whitethroat is found in open, semi-wooded and cultivated areas, where it can find hedgerows to nest. Couples of whitethroats are often victims of parasitism by the common cuckoo, which lays eggs in their nest and leaves them to fend for itself with its large chick.
To find out more about the whitethroats’ migratory routes and flight altitudes, they are captured using vertical nets at their nesting sites from Charente-Maritime to Brittany. They are fitted with a 0.5g GLS which records the data (approximate geographical positions and precise atmospheric pressure for altitude). In order to collect the data, the GLSs have to be recovered the following year by recapturing the birds on their return from wintering.
Breeding in France ; Migratory, passing through France