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Eurasian Blackcap
Sylvia atricapilla
Identify the Eurasian Blackcap by sound or photo and log your sightings with Birdpass.
The Eurasian Blackcap is a common, widespread warbler of Europe, western Asia and north-west Africa. It is olive-grey above and pale grey below, with a neat cap – jet black in males and reddish-brown in females. Males sing a rich, fluting song that often rises to a bright crescendo. Many birds winter around the Mediterranean and in Africa, and some central European birds have learned to winter in gardens in north-western Europe.
Did you know?
- Its exuberant song has earned it the nickname “mock nightingale”.
- Its name atricapilla means “black-capped”.
Voice
About the species
Identification
A medium-sized warbler; the male has a clear black cap, and females and young a rufous-brown cap. The upperparts are greyish-brown and the underparts paler. Its call is a hard, clicking “tak”, and its song starts with a soft warble that rises into clear, fluting whistles. The colour of the cap easily separates it from other warblers; Garden Warbler lacks a cap.
Family
Sylviidae
Size
Small (sparrow)
Colours
grey, black, brown, white
About the habitat
Deciduous and mixed woodland with dense undergrowth, forest edges, scrub, parks, gardens and hedgerows; fruit-bearing shrubs in late summer.
Diet
Mainly insects in the breeding season; berries and soft fruit such as elder and ivy for the rest of the year, and fat and fruit at garden feeders in winter.
Behaviour
Often keeps to dense shrubs, moving nimbly as it forages. Males defend territories, even against Garden Warblers, and sing a rich warble from cover or a semi-exposed perch. It builds a neat cup nest low in brambles or scrub; the 4–6 eggs hatch in about 11 days, and the young fledge after 11–12 days. It is a partial migrant, and some populations have shifted their migration routes.
Sources
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) male Drenthe.jpg
Sound: Carlos Andre, XC241427, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://xeno-canto.org/241427
Sound: Sonothèque ADVL, XC707323, CC0 1.0 https://xeno-canto.org/707323
Sound: Benoît Van Hecke, XC546697, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://xeno-canto.org/546697
Text: Wikipedia (English) + FinBIF species descriptions, CC BY-SA 4.0; FinBIF: CC BY 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_blackcap
 male Drenthe.jpg){kind=link}