Eastern Orphean Warbler
Curruca crassirostris
Plain but subtly attractive medium-sized warbler. Adult is gray with a black head and a white throat. Female has a less contrasting head pattern than the male. Younger birds are browner with a faded-looking version of the adult’s head pattern. Visually very similar to the Western Orphean Warbler, but the black on the head is more cleanly cut off from the gray of the back on Eastern Orphean Warbler. Also note the comparatively cleaner-looking belly on Eastern Orphean. Breeding ranges do not overlap. Breeds in open forests from which it delivers its song in phrases with an almost thrushlike warbling melody. Non-breeding habitats include open scrubby habitats, such as thornscrub and semidesert.
Identification
The eastern Orphean warbler (Curruca crassirostris) is an Old World warbler of the genus Curruca. This species occurs in summer around the Mediterranean, through the Balkans via Turkey, the Caucasus and surrounding regions to Central Asia. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. At 15–16 cm length—somewhat larger than a blackcap—this is one of the largest species of typical warblers. The adult males have a plain grey back. The bill is long and pointed and the legs black. The male has a dark grey head, black eye mask, and white throat. The iris is white. Females and immatures have a paler head and reddish underparts; their grey back has a brownish tinge. The iris is dark in young birds. It is difficult to visually distinguish from the Western Orphean warbler. The song is a series of warbling liroo-liroo and scolding notes. Its song is more varied than that of the western Orphean warbler, approaching the Nightingale in richness. These small passerine birds are found in open deciduous woodland. 4–6 eggs are laid in a nest in a bush or tree. Like most "warblers", the eastern Orphean warbler is a nectarivore.
Taxonomy
Genus: Curruca; Family: Sylviidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Curruca crassirostris
- Authority
- (Cretzschmar, 1830)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sylviidae
- Genus
- Curruca
Range and habitat
Breeding range: PAL : se Europe to c Asia. Non-breeding range: ne Africa to sw, se Arabian Pen., s Iran, s Pakistan, India.
- Breeding range
- PAL : se Europe to c Asia
- Non-breeding range
- ne Africa to sw, se Arabian Pen., s Iran, s Pakistan, India
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: rising.
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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