Bluethroat
Cyanecula svecica
Giorgi Natsvlishvili · Bazaleti Lake, Mtskheta-Mtianeti Georgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Length
- 13–14 cm
- Diet
- Insects, caterpillars, berries
- Status in Georgia
- Migrant
- Habitat
- Wetlands, scrub, high mountains
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Conservation
- LC (global 2019, Georgia 2021)
In spring the male bluethroat is unmistakable: its throat and breast are bright blue, bordered below by black, white and rusty-red bands. It is the size of a robin, 13–14 cm long. In Georgia it occurs in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Tbilisi, Adjara and Kvemo Kartli, in waterside scrub and wetlands. It is seen most often in March–April and, in autumn, in October. It is harmless to people and is Least Concern (LC) both globally and in Georgia. It is a shy bird that slips into a bush quickly. So if you cannot see the breast, look for the rusty patches at the base of the tail.
Identification
Bluethroat: how to identify it
A small bird the size and shape of a robin, 13–14 cm long. In spring the male has a bright blue throat and breast, bordered below by black, white and rusty-red bands. The base of the tail has rusty patches that show when the tail is fanned and in flight.
It is 13–14 cm long, with a wingspan of 20–23 cm and a weight of 15–23 g. In size and shape it resembles the European robin. Its relative, the common nightingale, is slightly larger.
In the middle of the male's blue patch there is a small spot whose colour depends on the subspecies. The "red-spotted" form is the more numerous and breeds mainly in Scandinavia and Siberia. The "white-spotted" form has a white spot in the centre. The brightness of the blue and the shape of the spot vary a great deal from bird to bird.
The most reliable feature is the tail: its base has rusty patches. In the open it often cocks and fans its tail, and as it flies into a bush the patches flash rusty-red. If you cannot see the blue breast, watch the tail.
Colour
The male's throat and breast are bright blue. Below the blue run a narrow black and white band and a broad rusty-red one, and the belly is pale. In the centre of the blue there is a red or white spot. The base of the tail has rusty patches.
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
It chooses wetlands, scrub and open high-mountain ground. It is shy and spends much of its time in dense vegetation, rarely staying long in the open. It nests on the ground. In Georgia it occurs in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Tbilisi, Adjara and Kvemo Kartli. It is seen most often at Bazaleti Lake, and also in Tbilisi, in Batumi and by Kumisi Lake, and in the high mountains in Kazbegi Municipality. In Abkhazia, at Gagra and Sukhumi, only single birds have been seen. It is rare in summer: in July 2023 one bird was seen in Samtskhe-Javakheti. That is a single sighting and does not yet confirm that it breeds in Georgia.
The bluethroat map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
It feeds mainly on insects. It also eats caterpillars and sometimes berries. It looks for food close to cover and darts into a bush quickly when disturbed.
In the open it often cocks its tail and fans it quickly, showing the rusty patches at the base. The rest of the time it creeps carefully through dense vegetation. It is a skilled mimic: its song has been found to copy more than 50 bird species and other sounds. It is a migrant that travels short or long distances. It nests on the ground. The female usually lays 5–7 eggs and incubates them alone for 14–15 days. The chicks leave the nest after about two weeks. It raises one brood a season, sometimes two.
In the 2019 global assessment the bluethroat is Least Concern (LC). In Georgia too it is LC in the 2021 national assessment: it is considered native, with a stable population. That assessment found no sign of a decline or a restricted range in Georgia, and the species is widespread outside the country.
gogopopo · Giorgi Natsvlishvili · Andreas Richter · Donsky · Anton Chechulin · Vladimir Belinsky · Nikita Tiunov
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Yes, mainly on migration. It is seen most often in March–April and, in autumn, in October. It occurs in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Tbilisi, Adjara and Kvemo Kartli: at Bazaleti Lake, in Kazbegi Municipality, in Tbilisi, in Batumi and by Kumisi Lake. It is rare in summer, and breeding in Georgia has not yet been confirmed. In spring, watch the scrub along the water.
In spring the male has a bright blue throat and breast, bordered below by black, white and rusty-red bands. In the centre of the blue there is a red or white spot. The most reliable feature, though, is the rusty patches at the base of the tail, which show when the tail is fanned and in flight. If you cannot see the breast, watch the tail.
It is 13–14 cm long, about the size of a robin. Its wingspan is 20–23 cm and it weighs 15–23 g. Males and females hardly differ in size. Its relative, the common nightingale, is slightly larger.
Mainly insects. It also eats caterpillars and sometimes berries. It looks for food close to cover. When disturbed it darts into a bush, so you will see it feeding best from a distance, with binoculars.
The colour of the spot depends on the subspecies. The "red-spotted" form is the more numerous and breeds mainly in Scandinavia and Siberia, while the "white-spotted" form has a white spot in the centre. The brightness of the blue and the shape of the spot vary a great deal from bird to bird. So telling the subspecies apart from a photo alone is not always reliable.
No. In the 2019 global assessment it is Least Concern (LC). In Georgia too it is LC in the 2021 national assessment, with a stable population. It is harmless to people. It nests on the ground, so do not touch a nest you come across in scrub.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
