Rüppell's Warbler
Curruca ruppeli
Fairly large Curruca warbler. Male is distinctive with a black bib and blackish head separated by prominent white moustache. Female has a pale or slightly darker throat. Wing coverts are well-patterned with dark centers and pale fringes. Note rather long bill. Breeds in Mediterranean scrub habitats, usually on rocky mountain sides covered with dense bushes. Non-breeding habitat is likewise scrubby and dry. Song is a scratchy whistle, usually starts with a quick metallic trill. Calls are a metallic "trrrrr" or "chak."
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Curruca ruppeli
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1823)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sylviidae
- Genus
- Curruca
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : s Greece, Crete, Turkey and Syria
- Non-breeding range
- ne AF
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Tiny Cisticola
Cisticola nana
A plain, miniscule cisticola of dry habitats. The cap and back of the neck are bright rufous, the back and tail are gray-brown, and the underparts are pale buff. The back can appear unstreaked or blurrily streaked. Found in dry thorn savanna and woodland. Within its range and habitat, easily identified by its tiny size and the bright rufous on the head. The song may recall a prinia’s, consisting of a rapid series of high-pitched “chi-du-lee” phrases.
Chestnut-throated Seedeater
Sporophila telasco
Fairly common in desert lowlands, favoring agricultural fields, weedy and grassy areas, and brushy hedgerows; often sings from prominent perches such as utility wires. Note small size but with a very stout, stubby bill. Male plumage variable; clean whitish and slate-gray overall with dark rusty chin in full breeding plumage, but often messy and mottled. Female is drab pale buffy with a streaked back; note her big, stubby pinkish bill.
Black-masked Finch
Coryphaspiza melanotis
Distinctive finch with a disjunct distribution. Males have an olive-green back with black streaks, and a contrasting face pattern with a broad white eyebrow and a black mask. Note the bicolored bill. Female lacks the bold head pattern. Inhabits well-preserved tall natural grasslands with scattered shrubs. Song is a very high, thin “tziieep...tsi-tsíp...zz-tzzz...”
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.