whitethroat

American  

[hwahyt-throht, wahyt-] / ˈʰwaɪtˌθroʊt, ˈwaɪt- /

noun

1. any of several small songbirds having a throat that is white, especially an Old World warbler, Sylvia communis.

2. white-throated sparrow.

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whitethroat British  

/ ˈwaɪtˌθrəʊt /

noun

1. either of two Old World warblers, Sylvia communis or S. curruca ( lesser whitethroat ), having a greyish-brown plumage with a white throat and underparts

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Etymology

Origin of whitethroat

First recorded in 1670–80; white + throat

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

whitethroat

The whitethroat frequents the hedge and ditch, and there weaves its slender nest.

From Field and Hedgerow Being the Last Essays of Richard Jefferies by Richard Jefferies

A Canada whitethroat called sweetly, sadly, from the forest in the sunset glow.

From The Little Red Foot by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers

The song of the redstart is superior, though somewhat like that of the whitethroat; some birds have a few more notes than others. 

From The Natural History of Selborne, Vol. 1 by Henry Morley

It is a whitethroat; his nest is deep in the parsley and nettles.

From The Life of the Fields by Richard Jefferies

Martins were hawking about, the whitethroat warbled his short snatches of song among the bushes, and blackbirds and starlings flew past.

From Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition. — Volume 2 by John MacGillivray