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The European stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) is a bird found in Netherlands, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Portugal and Belgium. Heaths, fields and coastal scrub across Europe. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, small animals and fruit. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

🏡 Where the European stonechat lives

Heaths, fields and coastal scrub across Europe.

🍽️ What it eats

• 🐛 Insects & bugs70%
• 🐾 Small animals10%
• 🍎 Fruit10%
• 🌰 Seeds & nuts10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

Hear the European stonechat

Recorded by David Darrell-Lambert (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1141573. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the European stonechat

Where does the European stonechat live?

The European stonechat lives in Netherlands, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Portugal and Belgium. Heaths, fields and coastal scrub across Europe.

What does the European stonechat eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 70%), small animals (about 10%), fruit (about 10%), seeds and nuts (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the European stonechat endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Europe

• Red-breasted merganser
• Hawfinch
• Ruff
• Crested tit
• Willow tit
• Black woodpecker

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.