From Opus

Male
Photo by: Mahsleb
Minsmere, UK, April 2009

Sylvia atricapilla

[edit] Identification

13.5-15cm

• Greyish-brown upperparts
• Light olive-grey underparts
• Crown is glossy-black in male - reddish-brown in female and juvenile.

Female
Photo by: Fuchsia

[edit] Distribution

Widespread and generally abundant in the Western Palearctic.
Breeds in the British Isles (except western Ireland and northern Scotland), and from Iberia and France east to the Urals.
Range extends to 70 degrees north in coastal Norway, to the head of the Gulf of Bothnia in Sweden, southern Finland and almost to the White Sea in Russia. In the south found as far as southern Spain, the Balearics, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, Italy, Greece and northern Turkey east to the Caucasus. Also breeds on the Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands and in northern parts of Morocco and Algeria.

Birds from central Europe eastwards and north to Scandinavia are migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa and in western Europe from Britain southwards, around the Mediterranean and in North Africa. Western and southern birds are resident or partially migratory, incidence of wintering is increasing in Britain and North-West Europe. Most British birds migratory, arriving in April-May and departing August-September with variable but generally small numbers wintering.

Photo by tedk
Lancashire, UK, July 2011

Vagrants have been recorded in Iceland.

[edit] Taxonomy

• Nominate race occurs over much of Europe.
• dammholzi in the Caucasus, greyer above, whiter below and paler crown in female.
• In the Mediterranean pauluccii is found on the Balearics, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Italy and Tunisia, also greyer above but darker below.
• Race heineken is found in western Iberia, north-western Africa and on Madeira and Canary Islands, darker and smaller than nominate, especially on Madeira.
• Race gularis from Azores and Cape Verde Islands is very similar to nominate differing only in minor measurements.

[edit] Habitat

Deciduous, mixed and in some areas, coniferous, forest and woodland with tall shrubs, sometimes in scrub with taller trees nearby. Also in parks, large gardens and orchards. In winter occurs in a wide range of habitats with trees and bushes and a frequent visitor to garden birdtables in parts of Europe.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes insects and berries.

[edit] Breeding

The female builds a cup shaped nest from vegetation and mud, placed in a hedge, bush, or brambles. 4-6 glossy, smooth, pale buff with dark markings eggs are laid. They are incubated by both parents who both feed the young.

[edit] Vocalisation

Call: teck or tacc (louder than Lesser Whitethroat
Song: Sings from a concealed perch. Beginning is similar to Garden Warbler but less sustained; ends with flutey notes.

[edit] References

1. Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
2. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
3. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
4. British Garden Birds

• List of references

[edit] External Links