From Opus

Photo by kuwaity
National Park , sabiya, Kuwait, May 2004

Sylvia nisoria

[edit] Identification

15.5-17cm

• Yellow iris
• White fringes to wing coverts and tertials forming a double wing bar
• White tail corners

Adult Male

• Steel grey upperparts
• Greyish-White underparts with dark barring

Adult Female

• Greyish-brown upperparts
• Less barred underparts
  

Immature

• Grey-brown upperparts
• Buffish underparts
• Brown eye

Photo by Askar Isabekov
Alma Ata, Kazakhstan, December 2006

[edit] Distribution

Main breeding range is from eastern Germany, the Czech Republic and eastern Austria south-east to Bulgaria and east to the foothills of the Urals, the Caspian and Caucasus. Also breeds in scattered pockets in southern Sweden (mainly coastal areas and Oland and Gotland), and the south coast of Finland, in southern Switzerland and northern Italy, throughout the Balkans and possibly also Turkey. Probably now extinct as a breeding species in Denmark.

Leaves breeding areas in August-September to winter in East Africa, travelling via the eastern Mediterranean. Return movement takes place in mid-late May. Passage birds occur throughout east and Southeast Europe and the Middle East and occurs as a rare migrant as far west as Britain. Around 100-150, mainly 1st-winter birds, occur per year in Britain chiefly in the Northern Isles, on the east and south coasts and on Scilly. Most occur in August-October, very rare in spring.

Vagrant to Iceland, France, Belgium, Spain, Sardinia and Malta.

[edit] Taxonomy

There are 2 subspecies

• S. n. nisoria: Southern Scandinavia and Europe to the Ural Mountains; winters to eastern Africa
• S. n. merzbacheri: Western Siberia to northern Iran, Afghanistan and western China; winters to eastern Africa

[edit] Habitat

Open deciduous and mixed forest and woodland, plantations and shelterbelts, parks and large gardens. Also on bushy hillsides and in riverine scrub, hedgerows and in grassland with scattered trees and shrubs.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

It nests in mature scrubby thickets and hedgerows.

[edit] Vocalisation

Call: a dry rattle
Song: similar to Garden Warbler

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
3. Birdwatchers Pocket Guide ISBN 1-85732-804-3
4. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition

• List of references

[edit] External Links