# Lesser whitethroat (*Curruca curruca*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-whitethroat  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The lesser whitethroat (Curruca curruca), also called the grey whitethroat, is a bird in the family Sylviidae and order Passeriformes, part of the songbirds and other perching birds. It is a small, migratory invertivore of shrubland, with an adult body mass of 11.44 g (up to 12.4 g) and a wingspan of 18 cm. Clutches hold 4.6 eggs (up to 4.8), with 1.5 clutches per year, an incubation period of 11.5 days and sexual maturity at 1 year. Its lifespan is 7.6 years (up to 7.9 years), and the IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 11.4 g – 12.4 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 18 cm |
| Lifespan | 7.59 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 7.92 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | shrubland |
| Egg incubation | 11.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.6 – 4.8 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.5 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Perching |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Passeriformes
- family: Sylviidae
- genus: Curruca
- species: *Curruca curruca* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Curruca sylviella*, *Motacilla curruca*, *Sylvia carruca*, *Sylvia curraca*, *Sylvia curruca*, *Sylvia currura*, *Sylvia garrula*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the lesser whitethroat?

The lesser whitethroat is a bird in the family Sylviidae, grouped with the songbirds and other perching birds. It is also called the grey whitethroat.

### How heavy is the lesser whitethroat?

The lesser whitethroat weighs 11.44 g as an adult, with values up to 12.4 g reported. It has a wingspan of 18 cm.

### What does the lesser whitethroat eat?

The lesser whitethroat is an invertivore, and its trophic level is listed as omnivore.

### What habitat does the lesser whitethroat live in?

The lesser whitethroat lives in shrubland. It is a migratory bird with a perching lifestyle.

### Is the lesser whitethroat endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses the lesser whitethroat globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the lesser whitethroat live?

The lesser whitethroat has a lifespan of 7.6 years, with values up to 7.9 years reported.

### How many eggs does the lesser whitethroat lay?

The lesser whitethroat lays 4.6 eggs per clutch, up to 4.8, with 1.5 clutches per year. Incubation lasts 11.5 days.

### Who named the lesser whitethroat?

The lesser whitethroat was named by Linnaeus in 1758, written as Curruca curruca (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Lesser whitethroat (Curruca curruca). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-whitethroat