Sardinian warbler

    Sylvia melanocephala

Castilian: Curruca cabecinegra

Catalan: Tallarol capnegre

Gallego: Papuxa cabecinegra

Euskera: Txinbo burubeltza

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Sylviidae

Migratory status: Permanent 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

Although it is very sensitive to the cold and this could affect its distribution in future spring seasons, this species is not threatened and its population appears to be increasing.

Length / size: 13-14 cm / 15-18 cm

Identification: Small warbler whose eye-ring is reddish and whose external tail feathers are white. The male is characterised by his pointed hood that reaches under his eye; his back is greyish, in contrast with his lighter underparts and white throat. The female's head is grey and her back is brown.

Song: Its song is a series of short, clattering and fast verses that alternate with sibilant notes. Its call is very characteristic: it makes a "trey-trey-trey, trah-trah-trah" sound that is constantly repeated.

Diet: It primarily feeds on insects, although during autumn and winter it eats many fruits from bushes, such as wild olives and mastics.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in March. Both parents work to build the nest, which is a bowl of leaves and twigs covered by dry leaves, hair and feathers, and which it places among the thick part of a small bush. Both parents also share the tasks of incubation and caring for the chicks.

HABITAT

It prefers medium-sized Mediterranean scrubland formations, such as rockrose bushes, kermes oak groves, mastic, etc. It is also found in grasslands, pine groves, riverside forests, and even in orchards and gardens.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed throughout the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, and the southern half of the peninsula. It also penetrates the Ebro Valley and reaches Basque Country and northeast Castile and León, and there is an unevenly distributed population along the Cantabrian coastline and the Atlantic coastline in Galicia.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout all of the provinces except León, where it is only occasionally found. It is very abundant in Arribes del Duero (Salamanca), Valle del Tiétar, and southern Gredos (Ávila).

Movements and migrations: The Spanish populations are sedentary, but movements toward the south of the peninsula and northern Africa to spend the winter have been recorded.

POPULATION

In Spain: The exact population is unknown, but it is estimated to be several hundred thousand breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 500-600 breeding pairs.