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Thrushes (Turdidae)

Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica) - HBW 10, p. 748

French: Gorgebleue à miroir German: Blaukehlchen Spanish: Ruiseñor Pechiazul

Taxonomy: Motacilla svecica Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden and Lappland.
Sometimes placed in genus Erithacus. Geographical variation marked, but considerable intergradation of races. Race saturatior sometimes merged with pallidigularis; described race tianshanica (Pamirs, Tien Shan) synonymized with latter. Ten subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • svecica (Linnaeus, 1758) - Scandinavia and N Asia, and NW North America (Alaska, extreme NW Canada); non-breeding S Europe, and N & N tropical Africa, Arabia and S & E Asia.
  • namnetum Mayaud, 1934 - SW & C France; non-breeding SW Portugal and Morocco.
  • cyanecula (Meisner, 1804) - Netherlands, N & E France and N & C Spain E to Belarus and NW Ukraine; non-breeding Europe and N & N tropical Africa.

     See all 10 subspecies
  • svecica (Linnaeus, 1758) - Scandinavia and N Asia, and NW North America (Alaska, extreme NW Canada); non-breeding S Europe, and N & N tropical Africa, Arabia and S & E Asia.
  • namnetum Mayaud, 1934 - SW & C France; non-breeding SW Portugal and Morocco.
  • cyanecula (Meisner, 1804) - Netherlands, N & E France and N & C Spain E to Belarus and NW Ukraine; non-breeding Europe and N & N tropical Africa.
  • volgae (O. Kleinschmidt, 1907) - NE Ukraine and C & E European Russia; non-breeding NE Africa and SW Asia.
  • magna (Zarudny & Loudon, 1904) - E Turkey, Caucasus area and NW Iran; non-breeding Arabia and NE Africa.
  • pallidigularis (Zarudny, 1897) - plains of Kazakhstan and Transcaspia E to Tien Shan and Pamirs; non-breeding SW & S Asia.
  • saturatior (Sushkin, 1925) - C Asian mountains; non-breeding S Asia.
  • abbotti (Richmond, 1896) - N Afghanistan and NW Himalayas; non-breeding N India.
  • kobdensis (Tugarinov, 1929) - W Mongolia and W China (Xinjiang); non-breeding S & SE Asia.
  • przevalskii (Tugarinov, 1929) - C China (C & E Qinghai to Nan Shan and E to Ala Shan and Ordos Plateau); non-breeding E China.

Photos

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