Page 323 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WARBLERS AND ALLIES
Order Passeriformes Family Sylviidae Species Sylvia undata
Dartford Warbler short, spiky, yellow-based bill

red eye and
eye-ring
short,
rounded
wings pale spots on dark
rust-brown throat
brownish
MALE grey back
long, long, slender,
“bouncy” dark tail
tail
IN FLIGHT
dark red-
brown
underside
duller than male
(juvenile greyer)
paler underside
than male’s
FEMALE
MALE
resident in Europe, the Dartford Warbler is subject to
Afluctuations in numbers and range according to the
severity of winter weather. It prefers warm, flat heaths and slopes
with short herbaceous and shrubby growth, including thick heather
and clumps of gorse, where it often skulks and is hard to
see. It may flick from one bush to another but FLIGHT: quick, undulating with tail flirting; bursts
disappears from sight frustratingly quickly. In of wingbeats over short distances.
warm, still weather, however, it will come to the
top and reveal its distinctive colours and shape.
VOICE Very distinctive buzzy call, low chrrrr
or djarrr; song quick, rattling warble with
some brighter notes, quite low pitch, little
variety, sometimes given in flight.
NESTING Grassy cup lined with finer BRIGHT
MALE
stems, low down in gorse or heather; Only a good
3–5 eggs; 2 or 3 broods;April–July. view reveals the
FEEDING Finds insects and many rich colours of
spiders in low vegetation. the male. OCCURRENCE
Breeds very locally in suitable
SIMILAR SPECIES habitat in S Britain, NW, W, and S
France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and
MARMORA’S WARBLER greyer dark cap on many Mediterranean islands.
32; very local; above of male
see p.443 Found on heaths with heather and
grey shorter greyer gorse and some small bushes, and
tail on warm bushy slopes with few
white
throat trees but plenty of aromatic and
thorny shrubs, all year round.
SUBALPINE WARBLER SARDINIAN WARBLER 32; Seen in the UK
32; see p.320 see p.318 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 12–13cm (4 3 ⁄4 –5in) Wingspan 13–18cm (5–7in) Weight 9–12g ( 11 ⁄32 – 7 ⁄16oz)
Social Solitary Lifespan Up to 5 years Status Vulnerable
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