Page 316 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WARBLERS AND ALLIES
Order Passeriformes Family Sylviidae Species Sylvia borin
Garden Warbler round short,
head
thick
bill
large
dark eye
pale buff-brown
dull and upperparts
rather pale
thin pale
eye-ring
pale grey patch
on sides of neck
pale buff
underside
juvenile has sharp
pale feather
edges
IN FLIGHT grey legs

his small, short-billed,
Tround-faced warbler is
obscurely marked but subtly
attractive and has a wonderful song.
It is generally solitary but twos and threes ADULT
may gather with other warblers to feed on berries
in late summer, putting on fat to fuel the long autumn
migration. It appears in gardens and thickets, often near the coast or
beside lakes and reservoirs, in autumn, pausing while on migration in FLIGHT: slightly hesitant; heavy, short flights
areas where it does not nest.The Garden Warbler’s movements are through trees.
a little slower and heavier than a Willow
Warbler or a Chiffchaff. LACK OF PATTERN
The soft grey neck patch shows
VOICE Call thick, soft tchak,low chek-chek, well here, but there is very little
churrr; song brilliant outpouring of fast, pattern on a Garden Warbler.
rather even but varied warbling, very rich,
throaty, musical, usually without
acceleration and emphasis of Blackcap’s.
NESTING Shallow, skimpy cup of grass
and moss in bush; 4 or 5 eggs; 1 brood;
May–July.
FEEDING Takes insects and spiders from
foliage, slipping through with ease; eats
many berries and seeds, in autumn, coming
to honeysuckle and elder in gardens.
OCCURRENCE
SIMILAR SPECIES Breeds in most of Europe, but
absent from Iceland and most of
more reddish SPOTTED FLYCATCHER Ireland. Present from April to
contrasting cap sits upright on open
coloration perches; see p.339 September in open woodland, tall
thickets, shrubs, and trees, and
streaked
wings wooded parks, often alongside
silvery Blackcaps with little obvious
brighter chest habitat difference.
longer
bill
BLACKCAP 2; REED WARBLER Seen in the UK
see p.316 see p.324 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 14cm (5 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 20–24cm (8–9 1 ⁄2in) Weight 16–23g ( 9 ⁄16 – 7 ⁄8oz)
Social Solitary Lifespan Up to 5 years Status Secure
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