---
title: "Whinchat"
description: "Saxicola rubetra — Birds. The whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) is a small migratory passerine bird breeding in Europe and western Asia and wintering in central Africa."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/whinchat
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Whinchat

> Saxicola rubetra — Birds. The whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) is a small migratory passerine bird breeding in Europe and western Asia and wintering in central Africa.

- Scientific name: *Saxicola rubetra*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Fields & meadows)
- iNaturalist observations: 35079
- Wikidata: [Q155869](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155869)
- iNaturalist taxon: [12908](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/12908)

## Names

- en: Whinchat
- de: Braunkehlchen
- es: Tarabilla Norteña
- fr: Tarier des prés
- pt: Cartaxo-nortenho
- pl: Pokląskwa

## Countries with the most observations

RU (18995), IT (1848), FR (1446), DE (1322), UA (1087), GB (820), ES (793), PL (422), AT (399), GR (382), FI (361), CH (298)

## Summary

The whinchat (Saxicola rubetra) is a small migratory passerine bird breeding in Europe and western Asia and wintering in central Africa. At one time considered to be in the thrush family, Turdidae, it is now placed in the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. Both sexes have a strong supercilium, brownish upper parts mottled darker, a pale throat and breast, a pale buff to whitish belly, and a blackish tail with white bases to the outer tail feathers, but in the breeding season, the male has an orange-buff throat and breast.
The whinchat is a solitary species, favouring open grassy country with rough vegetation…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whinchat

## Photo

![Whinchat](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/whinchat/medium.jpg)

Photo: petehawkins · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/190589019

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/whinchat?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).