Whitethroat

Sylvia communis

Silhouette: Alexis Lours · PhyloPic

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
FamilySylviidae (Sylviid Warblers and Allies)
GenusSylvia (Sylvia Warblers)
SpeciesSylvia communis (Whitethroat)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at South Luangwa National Park

3 Verified sightings at South Luangwa National Park From 2019 to 2026

5,874 Verified sightings across all 52 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Whitethroat

The greater whitethroat or common whitethroat (Curruca communis) is a common and widespread Old World warbler which breeds throughout Europe and across much of temperate western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in tropical Africa, Arabia, and Pakistan.

The English ornithologist John Latham described the Greater whitethroat in 1783 in his A General Synopsis of Birds but introduced the binomial name Sylvia communis in the supplement to this work which was published in 1787. The specific communis is Latin for "common". The common whitethroat is now placed in the genus Curruca that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein in 1802.

This species may appear to be closely related to the lesser whitethroat, the species having evolved only during the end of the last ice age similar to the willow warbler and chiffchaffs. However, researchers found the presence of a white throat is an unreliable morphological marker for relationships in Curruca, and the greater and lesser whitethroats are not closely related. A molecular phylogenetic study of the Sylviidae published in 2011 found that within the genus Curruca the common whitethroat... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at South Luangwa National Park

Sylvia borin

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Lamprotornis mevesii

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Plocepasser mahali

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Pycnonotus barbatus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Dicrurus adsimilis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Laniarius major

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Uraeginthus angolensis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Motacilla aguimp

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Cossypha heuglini

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Dryoscopus cubla

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Buphagus erythrorhynchus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Hirundo smithii

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Biebrza National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	~30%
2	Białowieża National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	~20%
3	Gauja National Park	🇱🇻 Latvia	~20%
4	Fertő-Hanság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~20%
5	Tsavo West National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
6	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	~10%
7	Kiskunság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~10%
8	Tatra National Park	🇸🇰 Slovakia	~10%
9	Cévennes National Park	🇫🇷 France	~10%
10	Hortobágy National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	~10%
11	Bavarian Forest National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	~10%
12	Snowdonia National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	~10%
13	Mkomazi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
14	Meru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
15	Sierra de Guadarrama National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	~10%
16	Tsavo East National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
17	Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park	🇲🇳 Mongolia	~10%
18	Ecrins National Park	🇫🇷 France	<5%
19	Pyrénées National Park	🇫🇷 France	<5%
20	Picos de Europa National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
21	Samburu National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
22	Arusha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
23	Sierra Nevada National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
24	Lake Manyara National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
25	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
26	Nairobi National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
27	Aigüestortes National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
28	Camargue	🇫🇷 France	<5%
29	Tarangire National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
30	Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
31	Monfragüe National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
32	Cairngorms National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	<5%
33	Aberdare National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
34	Doñana National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	<5%
35	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
36	Amboseli National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
37	Lake Nakuru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
38	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
39	Masai Mara National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
40	Keoladeo National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
41	Mercantour National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data
42	Chobe National Park	🇧🇼 Botswana	Insufficient data
43	Awash National Park	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	Insufficient data
44	Ruaha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
45	Niokolo-Koba National Park	🇸🇳 Senegal	Insufficient data
46	Mikumi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
47	South Luangwa National Park	🇿🇲 Zambia	Insufficient data
48	Triglav National Park	🇸🇮 Slovenia	Insufficient data
49	Plitvice Lakes National Park	🇭🇷 Croatia	Insufficient data
50	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	Insufficient data
51	Mana Pools National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Insufficient data
52	Hwange National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Insufficient data

← Back to South Luangwa National Park

Whitethroat

About the Whitethroat

Recent sightings of Whitethroat in South Luangwa National Park

Closest Relatives at South Luangwa National Park

Garden Warbler

Meves's Glossy-starling

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

Common Bulbul

Fork-tailed Drongo

Tropical Boubou

Blue-breasted Cordonbleu

African Pied Wagtail

White-browed Robin-Chat

Black-backed Puffback

Red-billed Oxpecker

Wire-tailed Swallow

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found