Sylvia rueppelli - Rüppell's Warbler
Feather characters. Barbules are rather short (0.69-0.79 mm) and divided into pigmented nodes and unpigmented or partly pigmented (less than 50%) internodes. Bell-shaped nodes are equally distributed along the entire length of barbules (32-34 per mm). They all are about the same size, slightly decreasing towards distal end. Villi are rounded and internodes are straight. Prongs are absent, although in some cases minute prongs may be found on distal end. Barbules have this typical structure for Passeriformes; pigmented, bell-shaped nodes combined with rounded villi.
Field characters. Size 14 cm. Weight: male 13.0 g (9.0-16.0), female 13.3 g (11.5-15.0) (Cramp (chief ed.) 1992). Male with black head, throat, and upper breast, separated by a broad white moustachial stripe. Red iris and eye-ring. Neck and mantle grey, wings with broad yellowish-white edges, tail dark with white outer tail feathers. Underparts whitish. Female resembles male, but black of throat and head mottled grey. Juveniles difficult to separate from Sardinian Warbler, because head is blackish-grey and throat pale; differs by obvious light edges on wings, greyer mantle, longer wings (longer primary projection), and longer bill. Eye-ring yellow to red. Both sexes have reddish-brown legs.
Voice. Call 'cherr', 'pit' and 'tec'. Song as Sardinian Warbler, but slower and more rattling.
Distribution. Quite common summer visitor in south-east Europe. Map: see MapIt.
Habitat. Dense scrub, like maquis, and juniper and oak woods with dense undergrowth.
Food. Chiefly insects, also berries.