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

The note of the whitethroat, which is continually repeated, and often attended with odd gesticulations on the wing, is harsh and displeasing. 

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

A whitethroat was catching insects in the garden on May 6.

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

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 MacGillivray, John

And after April, when May follows,   And the whitethroat builds, and all the swallows .

From There was a King in Egypt by Lorimer, Norma

If the whitethroat eggs were taken from the nest and placed among particoloured pebbles such as are common on some shores, it would need care to distinguish them.

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