White-throated Robin Irania gutturalis Scientific name definitions

15–17 cm; 18–30 g. Male is slaty blue-grey from crown to rump and wings , with black tail; black face to malar region and neck side set between narrow white supercilium and narrow white chin and throat; buffish-orange breast , belly and flanks shading to whitish on vent, also buffish-orange underwing; some (possibly immature) have creamy-ochre breast and flanks; bill and legs black. Female is brownish-grey on face , with poorly defined pale supercilium, submous­tachial and chin to throat, rustier ear-coverts, greyish-rufous breast, orange-buff flanks and underwing, black tail. Juvenile is like female, but wing feathers edged paler.

Asia Minor, S Caucasus and Levant E to Iran, and from S Kazakhstan and Tajikistan to W & N Afghanistan; possibly also C Uzbekistan (1 Martin, T. E., V. Nivet-Mazerolles, C. Landsmann, M. Guillemin, J. Dubos, F. Vallejo, and V. Dombrovski (2014). Bird records from south-central Uzbekistan, 2010–2013. Sandgrouse 36(1):34–49. Close ); winters in NE & E Africa.

Invertebrates and fruit. Of 58 invertebrates from stomachs of breeding birds, in Armenia, 56% were beetles (Dermestidae, Carabidae, Scarabaeidae, Tenebrionidae, Chrysomela sahlbergi), 21% ants, 5% grasshoppers, 3% moth caterpillars, 3% wasps and 3% spiders, 9% others. Of 49 items fed to nestlings, 43 (88%) were noctuid moth caterpillars (15 Acronicta species), four grasshoppers and two spiders; in another study, young again fed largely with small caterpillars. In winter mainly insects, including adult and larval beetles, ants, small grasshoppers, also centipedes and spiders, occasionally berries. Forages among low twigs and on ground, also in trees and bushes. Skulking; spends much time low in dense bushes and small trees, diving into thicket when disturbed or flying considerable distance. Sometimes highly site-faithful, perhaps territorial, in winter.

Song , sometimes in flight, a loud melodious vigorous warbling, sustained for c. 10 seconds with short pauses, phrases mixing fluty whistling and throaty grating, scratchy and chattering notes, reminiscent of song of a Sylvia warbler, “skwee-churrilee-cheek-cheek-cheek-chur-skweeilew-chur-chur-chur, skwer skweeereri-tsik-tsik tsi-tsi-tsi”; some males expertly mimic other birds. Full song in winter quarters from Jan, but also quiet warbling subsong in winter and on passage. Calls include hard “tec”, dry grating “turrr” or “iit-trr” or “krrrk”, both Luscinia-like; and noisy “tzi-lit”, like call of White Wagtail (Motacilla alba).