Melodious warbler

Hippolais polyglotta

Photo by Jorge Silva (Verdes Ecos)

Common name:

melodious warbler (en); felosa-poliglota (pt); hypolaïs polyglotte (fr); zarcero cómun (es); orpheusspötter (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Sylviidae

Range:

The melodious warbler is found breeding in north-west Africa, from Morocco to Tunisia, and in south-west Europe, from Portugal and Spain, through France and Italy, and as far north as The Netherlands and southern Germany and as far east as Croatia and Austria. They winter in sub-Saharan Africa.

Size:

These birds are 12-13 cm long and have a wingspan of 17-20 cm. They weigh 10-13 g.

Habitat:

Melodious warblers mostly breed in temperate forests and scrublands, favouring riverine areas. They are also found in pastures, plantations and rural gardens. During winter they are found in dry savannas, tropical and subtropical dry scrubland and in tropical and subtropical moist forests.

Diet:

They are mostly insectivorous, gleaning a wide variety of adult and larval insects from the vegetation. They also eat some berries.

Breeding:

Melodious warblers breed in May-July. The nest is a deep cup, made of plant stems and leaves, spider webs and down, lined with hairs, rootlets, plant down, and sometimes feathers. The nest is placed on a dense bush or small tree, 1-2 m above the ground. There the female lays 3-5 greenish-grey eggs, which she incubates alone for 12-14 days while being fed by the male. The chicks fledge 11-13 days after hatching, but continue to receive food from their parents for another 2 weeks.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 3-10 million individuals. The population is suspected to be increasing owing to a northerly and easterly range expansion, but in most countries the populations is stable.