Sylvia communis (Common
Witkeelsanger [Afrikaans]; Niini/Hamanku niini [Kwangali];
Timba (generic name for cisticolas and warblers) [Shona]; Grasmus [Dutch];
Fauvette grisette [French]; Dorngrasmücke [German]; Papa-amoras
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Reptilia (reptiles) >
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Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves
Order: Passeriformes > Family: Sylviidae
> Genus: Sylvia
Common whitethroat, Suffolk, England. [photo
Distribution and habitat
Its breeding grounds are from western Europe to north-west
Africa and Mongolia; in the non-breeding season it heads south to sub-Saharan
Africa, occurring in a band from Senegal to Ethiopia south to southern Africa.
Here its distribution is centered around Botswana, extending into Zimbabwe,
northern South Africa and north-eastern Namibia. It generally prefers arid
woodland with scattered Acacia trees, or with miombo (Brachystegia)
and Zambezi teak (Baikiaea plurijuga), especially with undergrowth
containing fruit-bearing shrubs.
Distribution of Common whitethroat in southern
Africa, based on statistical smoothing of the records from first SA Bird
Atlas Project (©
Animal Demography unit, University of
Cape Town; smoothing by Birgit Erni and Francesca Little). Colours range
from dark blue (most common) through to yellow (least common).
See here for the latest distribution
from the SABAP2.
Movements and migrations
It mainly arrives in southern Africa from late
November-December, departing from March-April.
It eats a variety of insects and fruit, often foraging
solitarily but also joining mixed-species foraging flocks. The following food items have been recorded
in its diet:
- Insects, e.g. midges
- Salvadora (mustard tree)
- Morus (mulberries)
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
Harrison, J.A., Allan, D.G., Underhill, L.G., Herremans, M.,
Tree. A.J., Parker, V. & Brown, C.J. (eds). 1997. The atlas of southern
African birds. Vol. 2: Passerines. BirdLife South Africa, Johannesburg.