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Sardinian Warbler

Sardinian Warbler

Curruca melanocephala

Identify the Sardinian Warbler by sound or photo and log your sightings with Birdpass.

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The Sardinian Warbler is a common Mediterranean songbird, widespread around southern Europe, North Africa and the Near East. Males are striking with a black cap, grey back, white throat and red eye-ring, while females are browner with a grey head. Its fast, rattling song and hard calls are familiar sounds of Mediterranean scrub. Mostly resident, some birds move to North Africa in winter, and vagrants occasionally turn up in northern Europe.

Did you know?

  • Its scientific name melanocephala comes from Greek for “black head”.
  • Its loud, rattling alarm call is one of the most characteristic sounds of Mediterranean scrub.

Voice

Sound

About the species

Identification

A small warbler (13–14 cm). The male has a black head, red eye and eye-ring, white throat, grey upperparts and paler underparts. The female has a grey head, white throat and brownish overall tone. The outer tail feathers and tail corners are white. A hard, rattling call and a scratchy warble help identification.

Family

Sylviidae

Size

Tiny (goldcrest)

Colours

grey, black, white, red

About the habitat

Mediterranean scrub, maquis, open woodland, olive groves, vineyards, parks and gardens with plenty of bushes.

Diet

Mainly insects and other small invertebrates; also berries and other soft fruit, especially in winter.

Behaviour

An active but skulking bird that keeps within dense bushes, often cocking its tail. The male sings a fast, scratchy, rattling song, sometimes in a short song flight. It nests low in shrubs or brambles, laying 3–6 eggs.

Sources

Photo: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sardinian Warbler.jpg

Sound: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sardinian_Warbler_(Curruca_melanocephala)_-_Parc_Natural_de_s'Albufera,_Spain_2022-04-18.mp3

Text: Wikipedia (English), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardinian_warbler

See also