What they like

Scrubby places with a view. Think: tall herbs, messy edges, young shrubs. In garden and park: let a corner go wild with nettle, thistle, clover and some bramble. In the countryside: wide field margins, ditch banks and dikes with herbs, not neatly mown. Prune hedges only late in winter, so cover remains.

Ecological importance

Fast-moving insect-eater. Feeds young mainly on caterpillars, flies and little spiders. Later also on berries. He themself is on the menu of the sparrowhawk, cats and sometimes a sly crow. More shrub- and herb-edge = more insects = more Whitethroats.

When in the Netherlands

Summer visitor. Usually back from April. Breeds until July. Leaves again from August, often into September.

Status

Common, but sensitive to being too “tidy”: too much mowing, too few shrubs and herb-rich margins. Give them some mess, and he'll be fine.