Bluethroat

SCI Name:  Luscinia svecica
Protonym:  Motacilla svecica Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.187
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Muscicapidae / Luscinia
Taxonomy Code:  blueth
Type Locality:  in Europae alpinis [= Sweden and Lappland, vide Hartert, 1910, Vog. pal. Fauna, 1, p. 745].
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

LUSCINIA
(Muscicapidae; Ϯ Common Nightingale L. megarhynchos) L. luscinia  nightingale, glorious songstress  < cluere  to be famous; canere  to sing; in European folklore the Common Nightingale and the Thrush Nightingale L. luscinia vie for the title of best songstress; "101  SYLVIA LVSCINIA.  Luscinia Aedon?  Nightingale, Le Rosignol, Nachtigall, or Philomela." (T. Forster 1817); "Luscinia Forster, 1817, Synop. Cat. Brit. Birds, p. 14. Type, by monotypy, "Sylvia luscinia" = Luscinia megarhynchos Brehm." (Ripley in Peters 1964, X, 32). 
Synon. Aedon, Aedonis, Daulias, Lusciola, Oitrus, Pandicilla, Philomela.
● (?syn. Vireo Ϯ Black-whiskered Vireo V. altiloquus) "* Luscinia, s. philomela Americana; the yellow hooded titmouse." (Bartram 1792); "α.  Luscinia seu philomela americana.  The yellow hooded titmouse.  Die Amerikanische Nachtigall. CATESBY." (Zimmermann 1793); "Catesby did not describe or figure the "American Nightingale," but Edwards (Nat. Hist. vol. 3, p. 121) did, and as Zimmermann was citing his reference from Seligmann's work, where the figures and descriptions from Edwards and Catesby are badly mixed, it is not surprising that this is quoted as from Catesby.  This particular bird is in need of further investigation, as it is one of the chief references on which Motacilla calidris Linnaeus is founded.  It requires strong imagination to see in Edwards's plate 121 the bird we now know as Vireosylva calidris." (Richmond 1917); "Vireo altiloquus  ...  Messrs. Bangs and Penard (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 67, p. 206, 1925) have clearly pointed out that Motacilla calidris Linnaeus (Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1, p. 184, 1758), principally based upon "The American Nightingale" of Edwards (Nat. Hist. Bds., 3, p. 121, pl. 121, fig. inf.; Jamaica), is unrecognizable." (Hellmayr 1935).

luscinia
L. luscinia  nightingale, glorious songstress  < cluere  to be famous; canere  to sing.
● "99. MOTACILLA.  ...  Luscinia.  1. M. rufo-cinerea, genuum annulis cinereis. Fn. svec. 221.  Luscinia. Gesn. av. 592. Aldr. orn. l. 18. c. 2. Will. orn. 161. t. 41. Raj. av. 78. n. 3. Alb. av. 3. p. 49. t. 53.  Habitat in Europæ frondosis, noctu vespereque cantillans: tanta vox, tam parvo in corpusculo, tam pertinax spiritus; spiritu prius deficiens quam cantu. Plin. X: 29. Miratrix avis, nutritur ovis Formicarum." (Linnaeus 1758) (Luscinia).

svecica / svecicus
Mod. L. Suecicus  Swedish  < Suecia  Sweden.  The Bluethroat was discovered by Olof Rudbeck in Lapland in 1695.  He was impressed by its beauty, inspired by the male being coloured like the Swedish flag (the yellow in the Swedish flag had a more orange hue in the 17th and 18th centuries), and named it Avis Carolina after the Swedish king Carl XI (see Cyanecula).  However, by 1758 the absolute powers of the monarchy had been abolished, and Linnaeus, who normally followed his mentor Rudbeck closely but had strong links with the Hattarna parliamentary faction, doubtless considered Svecica to be more politically correct than Carolina.  The name perhaps refers to the colours of the male Bluethroat’s breast rather than its range in Sweden (Tommy Tyrberg in litt.); "99. MOTACILLA.  ...  svecica.  24. M. pectore ferrugineo fascia cærulea, rectricibus fuscis versus basin ferrugineis.  M. Motacilla pectore caeruleo: macula flavescente albedine cincta. Fn. svec. 220.  Wegflecklin. Gesn av. 796. Aldr. orn. 749. Will. orn. 160. Raj. av. 78.  Ruticilla gutture cæruleo. Edw. av. 28. t. 28.  Phœnicurus pectore cæruleo. Frisch. av. 3. t. 19. f. 3. 4.  ß. Wydengyckerlin. Gesn. av. 796.  Habitat in Europæ alpinis." (Linnaeus 1758) (Cyanecula).

SUBSPECIES

Bluethroat (Red-spotted)
SCI Name: Luscinia svecica [svecica Group]
LUSCINIA
(Muscicapidae; Ϯ Common Nightingale L. megarhynchos) L. luscinia  nightingale, glorious songstress  < cluere  to be famous; canere  to sing; in European folklore the Common Nightingale and the Thrush Nightingale L. luscinia vie for the title of best songstress; "101  SYLVIA LVSCINIA.  Luscinia Aedon?  Nightingale, Le Rosignol, Nachtigall, or Philomela." (T. Forster 1817); "Luscinia Forster, 1817, Synop. Cat. Brit. Birds, p. 14. Type, by monotypy, "Sylvia luscinia" = Luscinia megarhynchos Brehm." (Ripley in Peters 1964, X, 32). 
Synon. Aedon, Aedonis, Daulias, Lusciola, Oitrus, Pandicilla, Philomela.
● (?syn. Vireo Ϯ Black-whiskered Vireo V. altiloquus) "* Luscinia, s. philomela Americana; the yellow hooded titmouse." (Bartram 1792); "α.  Luscinia seu philomela americana.  The yellow hooded titmouse.  Die Amerikanische Nachtigall. CATESBY." (Zimmermann 1793); "Catesby did not describe or figure the "American Nightingale," but Edwards (Nat. Hist. vol. 3, p. 121) did, and as Zimmermann was citing his reference from Seligmann's work, where the figures and descriptions from Edwards and Catesby are badly mixed, it is not surprising that this is quoted as from Catesby.  This particular bird is in need of further investigation, as it is one of the chief references on which Motacilla calidris Linnaeus is founded.  It requires strong imagination to see in Edwards's plate 121 the bird we now know as Vireosylva calidris." (Richmond 1917); "Vireo altiloquus  ...  Messrs. Bangs and Penard (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 67, p. 206, 1925) have clearly pointed out that Motacilla calidris Linnaeus (Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1, p. 184, 1758), principally based upon "The American Nightingale" of Edwards (Nat. Hist. Bds., 3, p. 121, pl. 121, fig. inf.; Jamaica), is unrecognizable." (Hellmayr 1935).

Bluethroat (Iberian)
SCI Name: Luscinia svecica azuricollis
azuricollis
Med. L. azureus  azure-coloured  < azura  lapis lazuli; Mod. L. -collis 
-necked, -throated  < L. collum  neck.

Bluethroat (White-spotted)
SCI Name: Luscinia svecica cyanecula/namnetum
LUSCINIA
(Muscicapidae; Ϯ Common Nightingale L. megarhynchos) L. luscinia  nightingale, glorious songstress  < cluere  to be famous; canere  to sing; in European folklore the Common Nightingale and the Thrush Nightingale L. luscinia vie for the title of best songstress; "101  SYLVIA LVSCINIA.  Luscinia Aedon?  Nightingale, Le Rosignol, Nachtigall, or Philomela." (T. Forster 1817); "Luscinia Forster, 1817, Synop. Cat. Brit. Birds, p. 14. Type, by monotypy, "Sylvia luscinia" = Luscinia megarhynchos Brehm." (Ripley in Peters 1964, X, 32). 
Synon. Aedon, Aedonis, Daulias, Lusciola, Oitrus, Pandicilla, Philomela.
● (?syn. Vireo Ϯ Black-whiskered Vireo V. altiloquus) "* Luscinia, s. philomela Americana; the yellow hooded titmouse." (Bartram 1792); "α.  Luscinia seu philomela americana.  The yellow hooded titmouse.  Die Amerikanische Nachtigall. CATESBY." (Zimmermann 1793); "Catesby did not describe or figure the "American Nightingale," but Edwards (Nat. Hist. vol. 3, p. 121) did, and as Zimmermann was citing his reference from Seligmann's work, where the figures and descriptions from Edwards and Catesby are badly mixed, it is not surprising that this is quoted as from Catesby.  This particular bird is in need of further investigation, as it is one of the chief references on which Motacilla calidris Linnaeus is founded.  It requires strong imagination to see in Edwards's plate 121 the bird we now know as Vireosylva calidris." (Richmond 1917); "Vireo altiloquus  ...  Messrs. Bangs and Penard (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 67, p. 206, 1925) have clearly pointed out that Motacilla calidris Linnaeus (Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1, p. 184, 1758), principally based upon "The American Nightingale" of Edwards (Nat. Hist. Bds., 3, p. 121, pl. 121, fig. inf.; Jamaica), is unrecognizable." (Hellmayr 1935).

Bluethroat (Caucasian)
SCI Name: Luscinia svecica magna
magna
L. magnus  great, large, mighty.
● ex “Grand Promérops de la nouvelle Guinée” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 639, and Sonnerat 1776, “Grand Promérops à paremens frisés” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Grand Promerops” of Latham 1782 (syn. Epimachus fastuosus).
● ex “Tangara des grands bois de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 205, “Grand Tangara” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Grand Tanager” of Latham 1783 (syn. Saltator maximus).
● "93. ALAUDA.  ...  magna.  9. A. subtus flava, fascia pectorali curva nigra: rectricibus tribus lateralibus albis.  Alauda magna. Catesb. car. 1. p. 33. t. 33.  Habitat in America, Africa.  Corpus scolopacinum, magnitudine Turdi, totum subtus flavissimum. Pectus macula magna nigricante lunari. Remiges fuscæ: secundariæ testaceo maculatæ. Cauda rotundata: Rectrices 3 laterales maximam partem albæ. Unguis posticus pedum major, sed magis curvus quam in reliquis. Rostrum rectum: Maxilla superior teretiuscula, basi nuda." (Linnaeus 1758) (Sturnella).
● ex “Grand Traquet” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Dark Warbler” of Latham 1783 (unident.).