No. 9 Warblers


(Note - Click on photo to enlarge image)
Warblers comprise a large family of small insect-eating birds. Most of them have attractive songs and all species inhabit woodland, shrubs or tall vegetation habitats (particularly reed beds). They are all very lively and nimble in their movements and constantly hop or fly from one perch to another. Many spend long periods concealed in the vegetation, which can make it very difficult to either see or identify them.

There are about 25 Warbler species that are known to be resident or that migrate through Cyprus. Identification of individual species is much easier if you can learn the individual songs or alarm calls, but this can be quite a challenge in itself, particularly when the birds tend to be hard to see most of the time.

A few of the more common and easily identified of Cyprus warblers are briefly described and shown below.

Sardinian Warbler.

This is one of the most commonly seen species as it tends to briefly sit up on an easily visible perch for a few seconds before disappearing down into dense shrubs. The male is very dark - predominantly black and grey with a white front - while the female is more of a light grey-brown with a grey head. Both sexes have a very distinct red eye ring, which greatly helps with initial recognition. The male has an attractive song but is usually first recognised by its loud and distinctive chattering alarm call.


Sardinian Warbler male

Sardinian Warbler female with grub

Sardinian Warbler male with grub

Sardinian Warbler female


Sardinian Warbler male searching for insects



Chiffchaff

This species has an easily recognised call - a constantly repeated two toned "Chiff....Chaff" - that in the UK is a harbinger of spring and the arrival of early summer migrants. It is generally most frequently heard and seen in deciduous woodland habitats. Its colouring is very similar to the Willow Warbler, though slightly duller and smaller in size.


Chiffchaff in Olive tree

Chiffchaff


Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff




Willow Warbler

 One of the commonest warblers in Europe, the Willow Warbler is frequently seen in all sorts of copses or patches of woodland, where it continually flits about. It is very small (no more than 4 inches from beak to tail end) which makes it hard to see and identify. Personally I find photographs almost essential to distinguish between the Willow Warbler and the Chiffchaff. It is distinctly greenish-yellow in colour and has a marked pale yellow stripe (the supercilium) above the eye.

Willow Warbler searching for insects


Willow Warbler in flower heads

Willow Warbler - small but colourful

Willow Warbler - hard to see, even without vegetation



Ruppell's Warbler

This Warbler is very similar in appearance to the male Sardinian Warbler, being predominantly grey and black, though slightly slimmer. Its distinguishing feature is the pronounced white moustachial stripe sloping downwards from the beak to below the eye. The orbital ring around the eye is a dull reddish brown colour. It tends to be seen in dense thorny bushes and on rocky mountain slopes.



Ruppell's Warbler perched in typical prickly shrub


Ruppell's Warbler male - standing tall


Ruppell's Warbler - note moustachial stripe


Blackcap

 A rather dull, stocky warbler with a distinctive black cap on the male and a rufous-brown cap on the female. It is often seen in gardens (particularly in Bourgainvillea and Hibiscus bushes) and in shady woodland patches where it skulks in the undergrowth. It has a very attractive song and also a distinctive sharp alarm call. This is one of the favourite songbirds that are killed in hundreds of thousands each year to make the Cyprus "delicacy" of Ambelopoulia, so count yourself lucky if you see one!

Blackcap female in Hibiscus


Blackcap male


All photographs and text by Trevor Fordham





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