Whinchat: Nest & eggs
The Whinchat is an open nester that builds its nest well concealed down on the ground in open meadows and pastures.
- Nest site: on the ground, often in a grass tussock beside a bush, a post or a stem on meadows, coastal meadows, ditch banks and clear-fells.
- Nest: a cup-shaped nest of grass built by the female, well hidden in the low vegetation, with normally 5–6 eggs.
- Brood parasite: the Whinchat is a relatively common host for the Common Cuckoo, whose chick is then raised by the Whinchat parents.
Its dependence on species-rich, open meadows and grazed pastures means the species is disadvantaged by increasingly intensive farming.