- Sylvia crassirostris
Identification
- Long pointed bill
- Black legs
Adult males
- Plain grey back and whitish underparts
- dark grey head
- Black eye mask
- White throat
- Iris may be white but is dark in most individuals
Females and immatures
- Brownish-grey back
- Paler head and buff underparts
- Iris is dark in many if not most
Similar species
More varied song, pinker belly, and sometimes more strongly marked hood than the very similar Western Orphean Warbler.
Distribution
Breeds in the eastern Mediterranean (from Slovenia east) through the Balkan peninsula to Turkey, the Middle East, Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Taxonomy
Three subspecies recognized[1]:
- S. c. jerdoni in Pakistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan
- S. c. balchanica in Iran, Turkmenistan and Transcaspia
- S. c. crassirostris in the E Mediterranean, Turkey and the Middle East
This species was formerly lumped with Western Orphean Warbler to Orphean Warbler.
Habitat
Open deciduous woodland.
Behaviour
A Migratory species.
Breeding
The nest is build in a tree or bush; the clutch consists of 4-6 eggs.
Diet
The diet consists mostly of insects.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Birdforum thread discussing some aspects of id of Eastern Orphean Warbler
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Eastern Orphean Warbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Eastern_Orphean_Warbler
