Olive-tree Warbler

Hippolais olivetorum

Large warbler with long wings. Pale olive-gray overall with whitish underparts. Bill is long and thick with prominent pale orange-yellow lower mandible. Also note the prominent pale mid-wing panel. The tail is long and dark gray, but the tail is not as impressive as in Upcher's Warbler. Much slower-moving than the smaller Hippolais or Iduna species as it hops in bushes and trees. Breeds in open woodlands, Mediterranean scrub, and orchards. During the non-breeding season, found in various habitats including arid zones. Song is a jumbled series of somewhat deep, throaty notes. Call is a deep “chack.”

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Hippolais olivetorum
Authority
(Strickland, 1837)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Acrocephalidae
Genus
Hippolais

Range and habitat

Breeding range
PAL : Croatia and Greece to Bulgaria, Turkey and Israel
Non-breeding range
e, se, AF
Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Cape Weaver

Cape Weaver

Ploceus capensis

A large weaver with a long, thin pointed bill. The male has a pale eye, and during the breeding season a brownish wash to the face. The female has a brown eye and an olive-brown belly. The species occupies open country, where it often breeds in mixed-species colonies over water or in large isolated trees. The chattering and rasping song is long and complex. The smaller Southern Brown-throated Weaver has a chunkier bill than Cape Weaver; its male has a better defined brown throat and its female has a white belly. African Golden-Weaver has reddish eyes, and Holub’s Golden-Weaver has an unstreaked yellowish back.

Timor Boobook

Timor Boobook

Ninox fusca

Brown owl with bright yellow eyes, densely-marked pale underparts, and white-spotted wings. Found only on Timor, where, aside from the very different Barn Owl, it is the only owl; migratory Northern Boobook could turn up on Timor, but has an entirely dark brown back. Inhabits wooded areas in the lowlands and foothills of the island. Gives a somewhat slurred, bouncy-sounding “woop-woop!”, as well as a smoother, deeper “dwoop-a-woop!”. Formerly regarded as a subspecies of Southern Boobook.

White-winged Fairywren

White-winged Fairywren

Malurus leucopterus

A small bird with a long blue tail that is held cocked. Breeding males are usually brilliant sapphire blue with bright white wing patches. Females and nonbreeding males are very plain pale gray, and the patch between the eye and bill (lores) is also pale (compared to Purple-backed Fairywren which has very dark reddish lores). This species is typically found in very open and arid country with sparse bushes, where it often perches on the very top of bushes. Its call is a very fast trill.

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