From Opus

Photo by Andy Bright

Sylvia undata

[edit] Identification

13cm.

Male

• Rufous below
• Grey back
• Grey head
• Red throat with white spots
• Red iris
• Long tail

Female

• Paler underparts
• More of a brown grey below

Photo showing female by: scottishdude
Location: Minsmere, May, 2009

[edit] Distribution

Breeds in southern England, the Channel Islands and Brittany, in western France and on the Mediterranean coast and throughout Iberia. Also breeds on Menorca, on Corsica and Sardinia, southern Italy and north-east Sicily and in coastal North Africa, mainly Morocco and Algeria; possibly also Tunisia.

Britain lies on the northern edge of this species' range and it occurs only in southern England with the bulk of the population found from Dorset to Sussex with small numbers in Devon and Cornwall and on the Isle of Wight. Some wandering may occur in winter when occasional birds are seen as far afield as East Anglia.

Vagrants recorded in Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden, and east to Greece and the former Yugoslavia, also in Libya.

Mainly resident but some birds, mainly juveniles, wander in winter and range expands in the south of range, especially on Balearics, Malta, Sicily and in North Africa.

[edit] Taxonomy

Subspecies Nominate race undata is found in north-east Spain, southern France, Italy and the Mediterranean islands, has slate-grey mantle, dartfordiensis found in Britain, western France and northern Iberia has dark brown mantle. Palest race is toni from southern Iberia and North Africa, greyish-brown above and paler and duller below.

[edit] Habitat

In north of range found on open heathland with abundant gorse to provide cover, further south in dense thorny scrub and maquis, sometimes in open pinewoods.

[edit] Behaviour

The diet includes insects and berries.

It nests in low vegetation; 3-6 eggs are laid.

[edit] Vocalisation

Song: rattling warble.

[edit] References

Wikipedia

[edit] External Links