Bluethroat

    Luscinia svecica

Castilian: Ruiseñor pechiazul

Catalan: Cotxa blava

Gallego: Papoazul

Euskera: Paparrurdina

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Turdidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

The alteration of the landscape due to overgrazing and unregulated leisure activities such as hiking, as well as urbanisation caused by ski stations or the drying up of streams in order to supply snow cannons, are some of the problems this species faces.

Length / size: 14 cm / 20-22,5 cm

Identification: Bird with a pudgy appearance. Its tail is brown, its plumage on its back is greyish-brown, it has a white line above its eyes, and its tail is orange in the middle of the base and black on the outside. Males and females are distinguished according to their breast pattern: the male's breast is blue (depending on the subspecies there is a white or orange spot), outlined by a black stripe and surrounded by another orange stripe that is wider; the female has little blue on her breast, her throat is cream-coloured, and her orange stripe is poorly defined.

Song: Its most common call is a dry and clicking "track". Its song begins with a loud, metallic and repeated "zru" that often mixes with good imitations of other singing birds.

Diet: It primarily feeds on beetles and ants, which it complements with seeds and fleshy fruits in autumn.

Reproduction: It nests in thick scrubland areas, directly on the ground or in the base of a bush. The nest is a cup made of dry grass, stalks, small roots and moss, and covered with thin grass and hair.

HABITAT

It occupies mountain areas that are composed of a mosaic of scrubland (heathers or brooms) and wet fields. It usually breeds between altitudes of 1,500 and 2,500 metres.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: In spring, it is distributed throughout the mountainous locations of the Cantabrian Mountains, the Montes de León and the Central System; however, in winter, some specimens move to wetlands and river mouths along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, as well as to the Tajo and Guadiana river basin areas.

In Castile and León: It is distributed primarily in the Cantabrian Mountains (León-Palencia), Sanabria (Zamora), and the Central System (Ávila-Segovia), with other concentrations in the mountains of Malagón (Ávila) and La Culebra (Zamora), among others.

Movements and migrations: The northern and central European populations are migrants, and they return to the African savannahs to spend the winter, although there are some specimens that winter in the peninsula. In our country, the passage of specimens coming from western Europe is observed between August and October, and they remain until February-March.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of less than 13000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 7500 breeding pairs.