Western Bonelli's Warbler
Phylloscopus bonelli
Small, sleek warbler; white belly contrasts with olive and green upperparts. Very difficult to separate from Eastern Bonelli’s of Eastern Europe. Best character is the call, a two-parted whistle "hu-eef" instead of the sharp “tzip” of Eastern Bonelli’s. Song, a short trilled phrase, is also quite similar to Eastern Bonelli’s. Compare with other leaf warblers; note present species’ plain face, olive-green wing panel (but no bright wing bars), and bright white underparts. Breeds in deciduous forests with oaks and beech, as well as in mixed forest with pines. Non-breeding habitat includes open scrub and open woodlands.
Identification
Western Bonelli's warbler is a small passerine bird, found in forest and woodland. Four to six eggs are laid in a nest on the ground. The eggs are white with reddish-brown markings and are laid in clutches of 3-5 eggs. The incubation period is around 14 days long, and the chicks fledge after 10-14 days. Cuckoo nest predation and brood parasitism are major hazards to the breeding success of western Bonelli's warblers. Like most warblers, western Bonelli's warbler is insectivorous.<p>The adult has a plain grey-green back, green-toned rump and wings and whitish underparts. The bill is small and pointed and the legs brown. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers.<p>The western Bonelli's warbler has a browner tinge to the upperparts than the eastern Bonelli's warbler; the latter sometimes has a greenish tinge instead. The song is a fast monotone trill, only slightly different from eastern Bonelli's, and also with some similarity to the wood warbler. The call of the western Bonelli's warbler is a disyllabic hu-it, differing from that of the eastern Bonelli's warbler which is a hard chup, reminiscent of a crossbill or a house sparrow.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Phylloscopus bonelli
- Authority
- (Vieillot, 1819)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Phylloscopidae
- Genus
- Phylloscopus
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : Spain and Portugal to Austria, Slovenia and Italy
- Non-breeding range
- to wc Africa
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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