Whinchat Life Cycle: Nest Building To Fledging (and everything in between)
Whinchats are small, lively colourful birds that are only seen in the UK during the breeding season. They are relatives of stonechats and wheatears and are relatively easy to identify by their bright white stripe above their eye.
Around the size of a small robin, the whinchat is often heard before they’re seen as they perch in high places making their presence known by their loud calls.
They are fairly easy to recognise with their large head, short tail and that bright white stripe above their eyes. Keep reading to find out more about these fascinating little birds.
Table of Contents
How Long Does A Whinchat Live?
Whinchats have an average lifespan of around 2 years in the wild. But there have been whinchats recorded as being 5 years old according to ring records.
Whinchats are the prey to weasels, stoats as well as other birds including Crows, Magpies, Merlins and even Cuckoos. This adds to the decrease in numbers of whinchats worldwide.
These pretty little birds are quite common in some areas and have a status with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) of “least concern”. They are also classified as “least concern” by the Species of European Conservation Concern (SECC).
However, in the UK they are Red Listed by the UK Birds of Conservation Concern. This is because whinchat numbers appear to have dwindled in the UK but this obviously isn’t the case elsewhere in the world.
How Fast Can A Whinchat Fly?
The whinchat is a flycatcher and has a top speed in flight of around 18 mph which is around 29 kilometres per hour or 8 metres per second.
We know that whinchats spend the breeding season in Europe and some areas of the UK and then fly south to spend the winter in sub-Saharan Africa.
That’s an impressive distance for such a small bird which only reaches speeds of around 18 miles per hour.
Are Whinchats Aggressive?
Whinchats are generally a peaceful bird and spend much of their time on their own. Having said that, whinchats will form small groups when searching for food outside of the breeding season.
During the breeding season, whinchats show high levels of territorial behaviour that could be construed as aggressive when protecting their nests, eggs and chicks.
What Is A Whinchat’s Habitat?
Whinchats can be found on moorland and heathland as well as grasslands, marshlands, meadows and even rocky scrubland often chosen for nesting sites.
Whinchats breed in some areas of the UK particularly upland areas in the north or west of Britain and a few similar places in Ireland. They also breed in Russia, Turkey, Iran, Italy, Greece and Spain.
After the breeding season has ended, they leave the breeding grounds and head for Sub-Saharan Africa. With large flocks wintering in Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda.
It’s at this migratory time that whinchats are often spotted in south and eastern England. There have been breeding whinchats spotted in the Scottish uplands, northern England, Wales, Devon, the Isle of Man and isolated nests on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.
How Long Does It Take For A Whinchat To Build A Nest?
Whinchats nest at ground level either on areas of thick grass or low in bushy undergrowth. This makes the nests of whinchats vulnerable with many succumbing to the actions of man with his lawnmower.
It will typically take anywhere between 3 to 7 days to build a whinchat nest. The female takes on the responsibility of building the nest. In some cases the male helps by supplying building materials, but it’s the female that builds the nest.
Nests are cup-shaped and made from grass stems, moss, leaves and lined with animal fur and softer plant materials.
Eggs
Once the female is happy with the nest, it’s time to start raising a family. Let’s find out about egg laying and other interesting facts.
When Do Whinchats Lay Eggs?
After the nest building has been completed to the satisfaction of the female, she will lay her eggs. This will typically be in late May or early June.
How Many Eggs Does A Whinchat Lay?
The female whinchat will lay anywhere between 2 to 8 eggs. The typical clutch size is around 5 or 6 eggs and she will usually only lay one brood.
In some cases,she might attempt to lay a second clutch of eggs once the first brood has fledged the nest.
What Do Whinchat Eggs Look Like?
Whinchat eggs are a pale blue colour and covered with brown freckles or spots. The eggs are around 19 x 14 mm in size and weigh around 2.1 g.
The colour and markings on the eggs act as a camouflage to help prevent detection by any predators or chancers looking for a quick meal.
How Long Do Whinchat Eggs Take To Hatch?
The eggs are incubated for around 11 to 15 days solely by the female. Once the eggs hatch both parents bring food to the nest to feed the growing chicks.
Chicks
Now let’s look at the chicks starting with how many make it to the hatching stage as well as other interesting facts.
How Many Chicks Does A Whinchat Have?
It is estimated that of the 6 eggs laid in a typical whinchat nest around 3 to 4 will actually successfully hatch. That’s around a 50 to 80% survival rate, however there are a lot of factors that can affect the survival rate of the chicks which include; climatic conditions, predators, the quality of the habitat (food etc) and human disturbance.
Sadly the problems don’t end there either, once the chicks hatch, many are lost due to those same reasons mentioned above. It is estimated that each pair of whinchats successfully raises 1 to 2 chicks to the fledgling stage.
When Do Whinchat Chicks Open Their Eyes?
Whinchat chicks are altricial which means they are born with their eyes closed and need to be cared for by their parents. Both parents feed the chicks on a diet consisting of insects and small invertebrates.
The chicks grow fast and they start to develop feathers and open their eyes within around 6 to 7 days of hatching.
When Do Whinchat Chicks Fledge?
The parents continue to feed and look after the chicks until they are around 14 days old at which point they fledge and leave the nest. But that doesn’t mean they leave their parents, they still rely on their parents for food and support.
The chicks don’t become fully independent until they are around 4 to 5 weeks old. They then leave their parents and join with other young whinchats forming small groups which will fly to the wintering grounds together.
SEE ALSO: Caspian Tern Life Cycle: Nest Building To Fledging (and everything in between)
Frequently Asked Questions
The average lifespan of a whinchat is around 2 years, however, there have been some that have lived for around 5 years according to ring records.
Whinchat eggs are a pale blue colour and covered with dark freckles or spots.
Whinchats lay anywhere between 2 to 8 eggs with the average clutch size being 5 to 6 eggs.
