The Lesser Whitethroat is a little smaller and greyer (less rusty) than the (Common) Whitethroat and has a faint bandit mask over the eyes. The male has a darker, greyer head than the female.

It breeds across temperate Europe through to Central Asia and winters in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and India.

Hume's Whitethroat used to be considered a subspecies of the Lesser Whitethroat but is now considered a separate species. It is slightly larger and slightly darker. It breeds at high altitudes (2000m+) in Iran, Central Asia and the Himalayas and winters in Pakistan and India. It may overlap with the Lesser Whitethroat when wintering.