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Whinchat

©Richard Steel/2020VISION

Whinchat

©Richard Steel/2020VISION

Whinchat

The whinchat is a summer visitor to UK heathlands, moorlands and open meadows. It looks similar to the stonechat, but is lighter in colour and has a distinctive pale eyestripe.

Scientific name

Saxicola rubetra

When to see

April to September

Species information

Statistics

Length: 12cm
Wingspan: 22cm
Weight: 17g
Average lifespan: 2 years
Classified in the UK as Red under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021).

About

A dumpy chat, a little smaller than a robin, the whinchat has quite a big head and a short tail. It can frequently be seen sitting on fence posts or small bushes, making a soft clicking call. Whinchats inhabit open meadows and wasteland, wet habitats and dry heath. They are summer and passage migrants, wintering in Africa.

How to identify

Generally paler than the similar stonechat, the whinchat has a distinctive pale eyestripe and a pale throat. Males are streaky brown above, with an orange chest, but females are paler. Whinchats have pale patches at the base of the tail, while stonechat tails are completely dark.

Distribution

A summer visitor to the north and west. Can turn up anywhere during migration.

Did you know?

Whin is another name for gorse which is often found in the habitats that whinchats breed in.