Melodious warbler

    Hippolais polyglotta

Castilian: Zarcero común

Catalan: Bosqueta vulgar

Gallego: Folosa amarela

Euskera: Sasi-txori arrunta

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

With its wide distribution and the size of its population, this species is not threatened, although it can be affected locally by the destruction of riparian groves, changes in land use, and the abuse of biocides.

Length / size: 13-14 cm / 20-24 cm

Identification: Small bird whose back is greyish-green and whose underparts are yellowish. Some paler specimens that can be confused with other species, such as the garden warbler.

Song: Its song is a mix of melodic tones and strident sounds that it makes at a high velocity, in a fluid form.

Diet: It feeds almost exclusively on invertebrates, although during the period prior to migration, it also consumes some fruits.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in May. The female builds the nest, a small bowl made of leaves and twigs and covered with hair and feathers; it is placed in the bark ridge of a bush. She is also the one that incubates the eggs, but both parents participate in caring for the chicks.

HABITAT

It occupies semi-open areas with scattered trees and good scrubland cover. It is very common in riverside forests where there is abundant undergrowth. It can reach an altitude of 1,950 metres in Sierra Nevada.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is widely and evenly distributed throughout the entire Iberian Peninsula, except for the most elevated mountain systems, like the Pyrenees and the Iberian System, and the most treeless areas.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout the entire community, but with the largest populations in León, Zamora, Salamanca, and southwestern Burgos.

Movements and migrations: It is migratory species that winters in parts of western Africa, in the southern Sahara. The prenuptial passage takes place between March and June, and the postnuptial between June and October.

POPULATION

In Spain: The exact population in Spain is unknown, but there is an estimated population of a few hundred thousand breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: