Page 444 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WARBLERS AND ALLIES
Family Sylviidae Species Sylvia hortensis Family Sylviidae Species Sylvia melanothorax
Orphean Warbler Cyprus Warbler
A big warbler of olive groves and bushy slopes, the A typical Sylvia warbler in its spiky-billed, capped
Orphean Warbler is rather like a massive Lesser appearance with an inquisitive expression, bulky body,
Whitethroat (see p.317). Males have dark grey heads, and slim, sometimes raised tail, this is a Sardinian
somewhat blacker on the cheeks, with big white Warbler-like (see p. 318) bird with dusky markings
throats and whitish eyes. Females and immatures are beneath. Males show a white streak between the black
slightly browner above and slightly buffer on the chest head and dark-spotted throat;the underparts are spotted
(not so white beneath or pure grey above as the male), blackish. Females are greyer, the chest more subtly
and have dark eyes.The long dark tail has white sides, mottled. Both have a red orbital ring and a thin white
unlike a Blackcap’s (see p.316). outer eye-ring.All have dark spots
OCCURRENCE Breeds in Mediterranean region pale under the white-edged tail. black head
and N to C France; very rare outside this range. eye OCCURRENCE Breeds in
VOICE Hard tak; simple/repetitive in Cyprus; rare migrant through
SW, more prolonged in SE Europe. Middle East.
VOICE Dry, ticking notes
and rattling alarm call.
buff
chest
long tail
spotted
MALE underparts
MALE (SPRING)

Length 15–16cm (6–6 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 20–25cm (8–10in) Length 13cm (5in) Wingspan 15–18cm (6–7in)

Family Sylviidae Species Sylvia rueppelli Family Sylviidae Species Sylvia conspicillata
Rüppell’s Warbler Spectacled Warbler
Bigger than a Sardinian Warbler (see p.318), Rüppell’s This warbler looks very like a small Whitethroat (see
Warbler is even more striking, with its black face, grey p.319).The male has a grey head with a white throat
nape, white moustachial stripe, and big black throat.A (greyer in the centre) and a black patch between the
red eye-ring is also obvious. Females have a grey face eye and the bill; the eye is encircled by white.The
and a pale throat with darker spots. Juveniles are paler back is grey-brown, and the wings have a rusty patch;
still, grey-faced,with a faint reddish eye-ring; they share the breast is darker pinkish than a Whitethroat’s.The
the adults’ dark-centred, pale-edged wing feathers and female is browner-headed,like the female Whitethroat,
at least a hint of a white moustache. white but the wing is more uniform rust-brown,the wingtip
All have pale reddish red moustache projection shorter. Juveniles in autumn are similar.
brown legs. eye-ring OCCURRENCE Breeds in Spain east to Italy and
OCCURRENCE Breeds in the Canaries; very rare vagrant farther north.
in SE Europe; very rare VOICE Distinctive buzzing dzz or d-rrr, sometimes
vagrant elsewhere; longer, dry, hesitant rattle.
black
winters in Africa.
throat
VOICE Sharp,
hard zak and
rattle. white
throat
rusty patch
on wings
pink
breast
bright legs
MALE
MALE
Length 13cm (5in) Wingspan 18–21cm (7–8 1 ⁄2in) Length 12–13cm (4 3 ⁄4 –5in) Wingspan 14–17cm (5 1 ⁄2 –6 1 ⁄2in)
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