Grasshopper warbler

    Locustella naevia

Castilian: Buscarla pintoja

Catalan: Boscaler pintat gros

Gallego: Folosa manchada

Euskera: Benarriz nabarra

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Sylviidae

Migratory status: Summer resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

The destruction and alteration of its habitat due to forest repopulation, as well as urbanisation and the building of other infrastructure, are the principal threats.

Length / size: 12-14 cm / 15-19 cm

Identification: Small bird whose back is olive brown with dark spots. Its underparts are light or yellowish, its tail is rounded, and its coverts are long and mottled.

Song: It sings a fast and monotonous song, similar to that of a cicada or grasshopper, which can be heard from a far distance away.

Diet: It primarily feeds on insects, such as odonates, orthopterans, hemipterans, lepidopterans, ants, and spiders, and it sometimes consumes berries from elders and other bushes.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in April. The nest is cup-shaped and made of twigs and leaves, covered with hair and feathers, and placed on the ground or in the grass. Both parents are responsible for incubation and feeding the chicks.

HABITAT

It occupies open areas with abundant high herbaceous vegetation with patches of scrubland (gorse, heather). It can also appear in the coastal countryside or marshes. It is usually found at an altitude of lower than 600 metres.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: When breeding, it only appears in the humid Cantabrian region, from Galicia to Navarre. But when migrating it can be seen in the entire peninsula.

In Castile and León: During migration, it appears throughout all the provinces, but when breeding it is only located in northern Burgos.

Movements and migrations: It is a trans-Saharan migratory species that spends winter in tropical Africa. The prenuptial passage takes place between March and May, and the postnuptial between July and October.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 5000-10000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of less than 50 breeding pairs.