What is the difference between lesser and scaup?

What is the difference between Lesser and common whitethroats?

Lesser Whitethroat. The common feature of Lesser and Common Whitethroats is, not surprisingly, a white throat; the important difference is that Lesser’s entire underparts are a smooth, silky white.

What is the difference between Lesser and American Lessers?

Lessers are about half an inch shorter than Americans, and their range in this country is much smaller. They’re restricted to West Texas, the coast of California, and the Four Corners states in the breeding season, but are common throughout Mexico and dip into South America.

Which birds are passerines and which birds are not?

In contrast, woodpeckers, herons, ducks, or hawks are not passerines.Here’s the shortlist of helpful birds: 1 American robin ( Turdus migratorius) 2 Song sparrow ( Melospiza melodia) 3 Dark-eyed junco ( Junco hyemalis) 4 A local wren 5 A local towhee More

Where do whitethroats go in winter?

It is a secretive bird, so is most easily located by its rattling, monotonous song. Lesser whitethroats winter in Africa; they leave our shores in September and head east around the Mediterranean, rather than through Gibraltar like most of our migrating birds.

What is the difference between a whitethroat and a grey warbler?

Unlike many typical warblers, the sexes are almost identical. This is a small species with a grey back, whitish underparts, a grey head with a darker “bandit mask” through the eyes and a white throat. It is slightly smaller than the common whitethroat, and lacks the chestnut wings and uniform head-face color of that species.

How do you identify a whitethroat?

The easiest way to locate a Common Whitethroat is by song and call but, having said that, the song is virtually indescribable! Uttered in bursts lasting 3-4 seconds, it is sweet, throaty and scratchy almost all at the same time, and is very distinctive once learned.

Why do lesser spotted eagles fight each other?

As a migrating species, the lesser spotted eagle spends the breeding season in Europe, just to move to Africa to spend the coldest months of the year there. It has a strong territorial instinct, which makes it fight birds that happen to approach its nest too closely.

How much does a spotted eagle weigh?

The lesser spotted eagle is also not excessively heavy – it weighs around 1,2 – 2.2 kg (2.6 – 4.9 lb), with an average weight of 1.6 kg (3.5 lb), whereas the steppe eagle reaches 2 – 4.9 kg (4.4 – 11 lb) and the greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga): 1.6–2.5 kg (3.5–5.5 lb).

What is the difference between a warbler and whitethroat?

As the name suggests, this warbler is smaller than its cousin the whitethroat. It sports dark cheek feathers which contrast with the pale throat and can give it a ‘masked’ look. When its flits from cover you might see the white outer feathers of its tail.

Are there different breeds of whitethroats in Britain?

There are several races of Lesser Whitethroat, the most frequent extralimital form that occurs in Britain being blythi from Siberia. However, this form is now generally considered synonymous with the nominate curruca that breeds in Britain and the rest of Western Europe.

Does the male whitethroat have a white throat?

The male whitethroat does, indeed, have a white throat! Arriving from Sub-Saharan Africa in April, it can be spotted on grassland and scrub, and along hedgerows. It is bigger than the lesser whitethroat. Classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021).

Where do lesser whitethroats migrate?

Whereas British Common Whitethroats have a conventional north-south migration to and from West Africa, the entire Western European population of Lesser Whitethroat migrates through and around the eastern Mediterranean to wintering grounds in north-east Africa, mainly in Sudan and Chad.

How big can a male greater spotted eagle get?

However, on the contrary, some of the largest male greater spotted eagles can overlap in most linear and mass measurements with smaller females. Total length of full-grown greater spotted eagles can vary from 59 to 74 cm (23 to 29 in).

How much does a Chesapeake Bay eagle weigh?

A: Eagles within the Chesapeake Bay weigh between 7 and 12 pounds. Females are 30% heavier than males and have a stockier appearance. Females weigh 10-12 pound. Males weigh 7-8 pounds.

Why do bald eagles nest earlier than other birds?

Bald eagles begin nesting earlier than song birds because their larger offspring spend several more weeks in the nest, Brinker said. The population of bald eagles has soared in recent years, after being nearly decimated because of the pesticide DDT, which was banned in the early 1970s.

What is the average weight of a bald eagle?

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Average weight: 6 to 14 pounds The Bald Eagle is the most well-known eagle (and perhaps even bird) in the United States. Being the country’s official bird, this majestic creature certainly ranks in as one of the biggest eagles there is.

What is the scientific name of the greater spotted eagle?

Greater spotted eagle. The greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga), occasionally just called the spotted eagle, is a large bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The scientific name clanga is from Ancient Greek κλαγγή, “scream”.

How many species does the lesser whitethroat complex have?

It has been suggested that the Lesser Whitethroat complex should be split into perhaps two or three species. However, while many forms appear reasonably distinct, it may prove to be a ‘ring species’, where different ends of the ring appear to be good species but, in between, the various forms merge seamlessly into each other.

Are greater and lesser whitethroats closely related?

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.

Why do male whitethroats come to the UK first?

Male whitethroats arrive in the UK about 10 days earlier than females in order to set up territories before their potential partners arrive. The Wildlife Trusts manage many grassland nature reserves for the benefit of the wildlife they support.

How long do whitethroats live for?

Whitethroats typically live for just two years, but the oldest bird recorded in the UK was nearly eight years old. How do whitethroats breed? A nest is constructed within the cover of bushes, shrubs and other lower vegetation.

Where does the whitethroat live?

This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in tropical Africa, Arabia, and Pakistan . The English ornithologist John Latham described the common 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.

What do lesser whitethroats eat?

Lesser whitethroats are hard to see and often only noticed when they give their harsh, rattling song, or ‘tacking’ call. In spring and summer, they mainly eat insects. In autumn, these warblers feed up on berries to build up their fat reserves before migration. UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually.

Where is the lesser whitethroat?

The lesser whitethroat is a fairly secretive warbler which lives in areas of scrub and hedges. It’s found in England, Wales and southern Scotland, but absent from upland areas. * This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.