© 2005 Peter Elfman 2005 ...Science Art-Birds
Title: Bluethroats
Species: Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
Artist: Peter Elfman
Image size: 16" x 23"
Media: watercolor on Arches paper
Date: 2005
Current Location of the Painting: artist's studio
The artist notes: "The Bluethroat is one of the most skilful singers in Europe. This little bird can produce a flow of imitations, ringing sounds and high-pitched metallic warbles." Indeed, across its range, researchers have recorded it mimicking more than 50 bird species and other sounds. Their studies have shown that singing peaks during the period shortly after the male arrives on its breeding grounds and the beginning of egg-laying, with daily peaks early in the morning. Males singing after egg-laying were either unmated, or failed breeders.
But that, of course, is not their only means of attracting mates. Elfman observes: "The males is a splendid bird with it´s intense blue throat. Unfortunately it´s often a rather shy and secretive bird, only seen for a second before disappearing into dense thickets. Researchers have measured the colour and brightness of these blue patches under UV light, which is invisible to human eyes, and found that female Bluethroats prefer the bluest and brightest, traits found in older males.
Numerous subspecies of Bluethroats are found across Europe and Asia. As Elfman says, "Several races of bluethroats are breeding across Euroasia, the race with the red star on the blue throat breeds in northern Sweden on the open tundra." In North America, Bluethroats can be found in western Alaska and the Yukon Territory, but have been the subject of very few studies.
