Strange bird on Mallorca, Spain (1 Viewer)

[RunarM]

I hope someone out there can help me with this bird I found while on birding holiday in Mallorca, Spain last week. I watched it it from a distance and didn't pay much attention to it first because I thought it was a long-tailed tit and it flew away when I tried to approach it. But after I came home and studied the photos I have no idea what it is. But it is clearly not a long-tailed tit. The bill is too big, the tail too short, no rufous parts on the shoulder and underside and the head is all white except for a blackish nape (nominate LTT from the north have all white head with no dark in the nape, southern subspecies have a broad dark band over the eyes). The bird is mainly white with black tertiaries and some blackish in the nape/neck. The eye look reddish, but when I zoom in really close, there appear to be a red lump on the eye, maybe suggesting an injury or desease? I performed a google search based on the pics and suggestions from google where pied water tyrant and long-tailed tit. Best match after looking up some tyrants where the black-and-white monjita. But both the water tyrant and the monjita seem very unlikely to say the least. The location was Es Carnatge right at the end of the airport and the habitat was scrub with scattered pines right behind the beach front. Excact date was the 20th of april.

 

[John Tindale]

No expert, but from the nest shape I would suggest some type of Weaver.

 

[CARERY]

Looks like a case of partial-albinism to me. I would tentatively suggest Sardinan Warbler. Isn't that a red eye-ring? Still, strange nest and bill shape... so, maybe I'm wrong.

 

[tconzemi]

That's no bird nest, that's a moth nest and the bird is either feeding on them or collecting nest material

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,
what an interesting bird! Thanks for sharing!
At first I must admit I thought this must surely be an aberrant Long-tailed Tit (including a too short=broken? tail), but then I realized that the nest is unusual.

But now I read the answer from Tom. Thanks Tom! Didnt know this.
With this in mind, and hoping=guessing, that the unusual bill shape is the result of some material in the bill (+missing feathers near the base?) coupled with bad picture quality (no offence as always, you know), I think its an aberrant Long-tailed Tit with a broken (or regrowing) tail.

But with a bad feeling=quiz-modus

 

[tconzemi]

I'd say Sylvia warbler as Roland suggested, females are difficult, now such heavy leucism doesn't really make it easier

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

The nest seems to be from pine processionary moth Thaumathopoea pinivora

 

[Tote]

Although the bill looks strange I think it's a Blue Tit, one of the few that dare to eat these caterpillars. The red eye might be a consequence of albinism.
BTW, T. pityocampa is the more widespread pine moth. T. pinivora is fond of Scots pine in mainland Spain.

 

[lou salomon]

agree with pityocampa as the likely sp. for the web nest, but if it's a Blue Tit it would have a strongly overgrown bill, too.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I thought Blue Tit too FWIW, a passing resemblance to Azure Tit.

 

[fdokykcu]

agree with pityocampa as the likely sp. for the web nest, but if it's a Blue Tit it would have a strongly overgrown bill, too.

Yes, the species to be found in Spain on Pinus halepensis (the species shown in the photo) is T. pityocampa

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

agree on T. pityocampa, not pinivora on P. halepensis on Mallorca-wasn´t thinking