Eastern Subalpine Warbler
Curruca cantillans
A small, slim warbler with a long tail. Breeding males are distinctive, with gray upperparts contrasting with a puffy rufous throat and breast, and a bold white moustache mark. Female and non-breeding males resemble a washed-out version of the breeding male, with much less rufous below. Typically found in scrubby, dense bushy habitats, but also in more open woodland and savanna. Sings from the tops of bushes, giving a rattling and loud sequence of notes. The calls are dry “trkk” or "trk-tek" notes, which are also incorporated into the song. Very similar to Moltoni’s Warbler, and best separated by the call (single or subtly doubled notes rather than dry rattles); breeding male is also richer rufous below. Also very similar to Western Subalpine Warbler, but call is subtly different: Eastern’s is slightly softer and tends to have two syllables. Breeding males are separated visually from Western by having more white on the belly, a darker face, and a broader white moustache.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Curruca cantillans
- Authority
- (Pallas, 1764)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sylviidae
- Genus
- Curruca
Range and habitat
This species prefers tall and dense heterogeneous maquis with sparse tree cover in dry Mediterranean areas, particularly maquis of holm oak (Quercus ilex) and those dominated by strawberry tree (Arbutus) and tree-heath (Erica). It is also frequently found in young cork oak (Quercus suber) forest and in dense but treeless bushy areas. It uses bushy formations dominated by brambles (Rubus fruticosus) along sunny ravines and valley bottoms and prefers the intermediate stages of post-wildfire succession. Breeding occurs from late March to late June and the species is monogamous. The male constructs several ‘cock nests’ but both sexes build the breeding nest which is a deep, robust cup of grasses, thin roots and leaves and lined with finer grasses, rootlets and hair. It is placed in low scrub, a bush or small tree, c. 30–130 cm above the ground. Clutches are three to five eggs. The diet is mostly small insects and their larvae but outside of the breeding season berries and fruits are also taken.
- Breeding range
- PAL : ne Italy through se Europe to w Turkey. Also s Italy and Sicily.
- Non-breeding range
- n AF
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Tree Pipit
Anthus trivialis
Slender and streaked pipit. Feeds on the ground like other pipits, but perches readily in trees or bushes when singing, or alights in tree at end of parachuting song flight. As the name suggests, usually associated with trees (on breeding grounds), but also found in agricultural areas and grassy scrub in winter. All pipits look rather similar and are best identified to species by combination of habitat and voice: Tree Pipit call a high, shrill, buzzy "tzzz"; song more melodic and varied than Meadow Pipit song.
Banded Stilt
Cladorhynchus leucocephalus
Large black-and-white shorebird with white head and long straight, needle-like bill, very long pink legs. Adult has prominent copper-colored belly-band, lacking in juvenile. Thick white trailing edge to wing obvious in flight. Occurs in small groups or in immense flocks, usually close to inland salt lakes or coastal lagoons.
Chinese Shortwing
Brachypteryx sinensis
Shy and skulky ground-dweller of hill forests with dense undergrowth; especially favors damp, dark areas near streams, fallen trunks, and accumulated debris. Male is slate-blue, with paler undertail and lower belly; also note his thin white eyebrow. Female is dark dirt-brown, with paler underparts and a faint rufous eyering. Difficult to see in tangled understory, but can be readily detected through the male’s song, a series of pure, short whistles followed by a quick jumble of notes, which sometimes include a buzz. Calls include a “tchik” and a rattling series.
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