Greater Whitethroat

Greater Whitethroat (Sylvia communis) has a temperate breeding range extending eastwards from Western Europe to Mongolia. The entire global population winters in Africa and is a true passage migrant through the Indian Subcontinent.

On the way to Africa, easternmost populations migrate through northwestern and western India where they can be easily seen during September. On the way back, they largely bypass the country like many other species, moving north through the Arabian peninsula instead. Several other species show similar migratory patterns including Spotted Flycatcher, Rufous-tailed Srub Robin, Red-tailed Shrike, Red-backed Shrike, Eurasian Nightjar and Eurasian Scops Owl!

Migration map

This animated migration map was created from observations uploaded to the citizen science platform eBird up until 2020. Where present, the inset graph depicts the seasonal likelihood of finding this species (i.e. the proportion of eBird checklists) within its range in India alone. We are grateful to the many birdwatchers around the world who have enabled the creation of this animation by sharing their observations on eBird.

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