Whitethroats are summer migrants from West Africa whose populations crashed in 1969 due to Sahel drought and have never fully recovered. Advanced understanding of their ecology informs conservation recommendations.
Individual whitethroats returning to UK breeding areas after migration face welfare challenges from reduced scrub habitat and reduced invertebrate prey in intensified farmland. Conservation management creating and maintaining diverse scrubby habitats provides essential nesting and foraging welfare resources. The long-term population challenge from Sahel conditions can only be addressed through climate and land management actions in West Africa.