- Sylvia nisoria
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
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.
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
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.
Behaviour
Breeding
It nests in mature scrubby thickets and hedgerows.
Vocalisation
Call: a dry rattle
Song: similar to Garden Warbler
<flashmp3>Sylvia nisoria (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
- 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.
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
- Birdwatchers Pocket Guide ISBN 1-85732-804-3
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Barred Warbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Barred_Warbler