Siberian Rubythroat

1 Siberian Rubythroat Breed Overview

The Siberian Rubythroat (Luscinia calliope), also called the Red-throated Nightingale, Red-tailed Robin, or Red-necked Bird, is a typical ground-dwelling bird. Its song is varied and pleasant, with most singing at dawn and dusk, and is especially beautiful.

Chinese Name: Siberian Rubythroat

English Name: Siberian Rubythroat

Latin Name: Luscinia calliope

Aliases: Red-throated Nightingale, Red-tailed Robin, Red-necked Bird

Kingdom: Animalia

Class: Aves

Order: Passeriformes

Family: Turdidae

2 Physical Characteristics of the Siberian Rubythroat

The ideal adult body length is about 150 mm, weight 22-26 g. Adult males and females differ slightly in color. Here are the specifics.

The adult male has an olive-brown upper body; crown and forehead are brown; wing and tail feathers dark brown; the well-defined white supercilium runs from the bill base to behind the eye; the lores and cheeks are black; the chin and throat are crimson; the belly is nearly pure white. The female’s chin and throat are near white, with older females slightly pink; the breast is sandy-brown; the supercilium is brown-white and less defined than the male’s; the rest of the plumage resembles the male. The bill is dark brown, paler at the base; the feet are nearly horn-black.

3 Siberian Rubythroat Living Environment

The Siberian Rubythroat attracts many bird lovers with its looks and pleasant song, making it a fine pet bird. But more people keep it for display, not knowing how demanding its living environment is.

In Beijing, a fine bamboo ‘Rubythroat’ lacquer cage with delicate porcelain food and water pots is used to keep a single male for its song. Feed is lark mixed powder with raw minced meat, made into a paste with water, plus 3-5 insects daily. In captivity the bird loves water baths; above 15 degrees C, give a bath daily, wetting the feathers but not chilling. In a cage, droppings can cake on the toes and hinder movement, even corroding and dropping claws, so keep the environment and body clean to avoid fecal soiling.

4 Siberian Rubythroat Care Tips

The Siberian Rubythroat is harder to tame than many softbill songbirds. A just-caught bird is restless and may refuse food; tie the wing feathers and keep it in a quiet, dark place, patiently hand- or force-feeding until it adapts to captivity and artificial feed – usually about a week.

In Beijing, newly caught birds are often tied and tethered by the neck on a stand to tame, using live insects to lure feeding – very effective. For overly restless individuals, spray a little water on the feathers to calm and speed taming.

The Siberian Rubythroat feeds mainly on insects – grasshoppers, stinkbugs, ants – and also some wild berries and weed seeds. Breeds April-June; the nest is oval, of grass, dead leaves, and fine roots, with a side entrance, lined with fine grass and fiber, placed in ground vegetation. Each nest has 4-5 eggs, pale bluish-green or with red spots.