Bluethroat

Bluethroat, or BLUEBREAST (Cyanecula succica), a beautiful and melodious bird, nearly allied to the nightingale. From its power of imitating the notes of other birds the Laplanders give it a name which signifies the bird of a hundred tongues. Another of its many names is Luscinia succica, or Swedish Nightingale. It is very little larger than a redbreast, and much resembles it, but has the throat and upper part of the neck of a brilliant light-blue, with a spot in the centre, which in some specimens is pure white, and in very old males is red. The females have less blue. Below the blue colour is a black bar, then a line of white, and again a broad band of bright chestnut. The bluethroat is well known as a summer bird of passage in many parts of Europe, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Arctic Ocean, but is very rare in Britain, only a few instances of its occurrence having been recorded. It is supposed to spend the winter in Africa. The bird is one of those known by the names of Beebin and Beccafico (q.v.), and unfortunately falls victim to epicure tastes.