Whitethroat photographed at Pleinmont [PLE] on 2/6/2010 Photo: © Mike Cunningham (visit site)

Breeds extensively across the middle latitudes of Europe from the Mediterranean to southern Scandinavia. In the Bailiwick, the status of the Whitethroat seems to have changed little. Smith records it as 'regular summer visitant' and Dobson found it breeding commonly. It is still a common breeding bird on all the main islands in the Bailiwick as well as several of the smaller ones. Numbers were affected during the period in the 1970s when extended droughts occurred in the Sahel region.

In spring the average first date for the period 1969-1998 was 22 April but there is a significant trend for earlier first dates. During the first five years, the average first date was 29 April and during 1994-1998, 14 April. The earliest date a bird has been recorded is 6 April in 1995. Evidence of passage is usually noted each year. In recent years, peak spring passage took place during the mid to latter part of April. In spring, and less often in autumn, exceptional falls of this species used to occur and every patch of nettles or bramble bush seems to contain several Whitethroats. For example, on 15 September 1967, 97 were ringed at Mannez Quarry in Alderney and in spring 1956, 200 were counted on Lihou. These exceptional counts seem to be a thing of the past and since regular reporting started in 1993, counts at any one site have never exceeded 20.

Its current breeding distribution is determined by the availability of suitable scrub habitat. Over the past century, the amount of scrub available to these birds has declined rapidly on Guernsey at least. The removal, and lack of suitable management, of furze breaks and hedges on this island has left this species almost totally confined to coastal areas, especially the south coast cliffs and headlands on the west coast. Small numbers may still breed in inland areas. In Alderney and Sark, both of which have extensive areas of scrub, Whitethroats are extremely common summer visitors and can be found across most of these islands. They also breed on the small offshore islands of Lihou, Jethou and Brecqou and are extremely common on Herm.

Of the 1100 birds ringed in the Bailiwick, there have been two significant recoveries of spring migrants. One ringed at the Vale Marais on 18 May 1982 was recovered the following spring on 4 May at Aveyron, France approximately 200 km south of Guernsey and a bird ringed at La Fougeraie on 8 May 1982 was recovered three weeks later on 29 May in Cheshire, England.