Eurasian Blackcap

Photo by: Fuchsia
Female

Sylvia atricapilla

Identification

¹ 13cm. Male - grey-brown upper parts, pale grey underparts, glossy black cap. Female - similar, browner upperparts, buff underparts and a red-brown cap.

Juvenile - similar to adult female; juvenile male - black-brown cap, juvenile female - yellow-brown cap.

Distribution

Widespread and generally abundant in the Western Palearctic. Breeds in the British Isles (except western Ireland and northern Scotland), and from Iberia and France east to the Urals. Range extends to 70 degrees north in coastal Norway, to the head of the Gulf of Bothnia in Sweden, southern Finland and almost to the White Sea in Russia. In the south found as far as southern Spain, the Balearics, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, Italy, Greece and northern Turkey east to the Caucasus. Also breeds on the Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands and in northern parts of Morocco and Algeria.

Birds from central Europe eastwards and north to Scandinavia are migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa and in western Europe from Britain southwards, around the Mediterranean and in North Africa. Western and southern birds are resident or partially migratory, incidence of wintering is increasing in Britain and North-West Europe. Most British birds migratory, arriving in Apr-May and departing Aug-Sep with variable but generally small numbers wintering.

Vagrants have been recorded in Iceland.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Nominate race occurs over much of Europe with dammholzi in the Caucasus, greyer above, whiter below and paler crown in female. In the Mediterranean pauluccii is found on the Balearics, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Italy and Tunisia, also greyer above but darker below. Race heineken is found in western Iberia, NW Africa and on Madeira and Canary Islands, darker and smaller than nominate, especially on Madeira. Race gularis from Azores and Cape Verde Islands is very similar to nominate differing only in minor measurements.

Habitat

Deciduous, mixed and in some areas, coniferous, forest and woodland with tall shrubs, sometimes in scrub with taller trees nearby. Also in parks, large gardens and orchards. In winter occurs in a wide range of habitats with trees and bushes and a frequent visitor to garden birdtables in parts of Europe.

Behaviour

The diet includes insects and berries.

The female builds a cup shaped nest from vegetation and mud, placed in a hedge, bush, or brambles. 4-6 glossy, smooth, pale buff with dark markings eggs are laid. They are incubated by both parents who both feed the young. ¹

Vocalisation

<flashmp3>Sylvia atricapilla (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program

References

1. British Garden Birds

External Links

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