The sounds of a Bonelli's Warbler

#birds #birdsounds #fieldrecordings A Bonelli’s Warbler has a surprisingly distinctive song for such a small bird. It is a fast, bright, slightly metallic series of notes, often described as a rapid, descending or bubbling phrase. It can sound something like: “tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee… tew-tew-tew” or a quick, accelerating “tsip-tsip-tsip-tsip-tsip”. The song is generally: Very rapid, with notes delivered almost continuously. High-pitched and crisp, rather than rich or musical. Often has a slightly metallic, tinkling quality. Usually lasts only a few seconds before being repeated. Can sound rather mechanical or hurried, especially compared with the more varied songs of other warblers. A Bonelli’s Warbler is a small, lively leaf warbler of southern Europe and the Mediterranean, with a distinctive combination of bright yellow-green upperparts and a pale underside. What it looks like Size: About 11–12 cm long — roughly the size of a Blue Tit. Upperparts: Greenish-grey to olive-green, with a noticeably brighter green rump. Underparts: Clean white throat, breast and belly, sometimes with a faint yellowish wash. Wings: Darker wings with two pale wing bars, which can be quite noticeable. Face: A dark eye set against a fairly plain face, with a pale supercilium (eyebrow). Legs: Usually dark greyish. Tail: Dark with pale edging, often flicked or moved energetically. Bonelli’s Warblers are active, restless little birds, constantly moving through trees and shrubs looking for insects. They can be surprisingly difficult to spot despite their relatively pale colouring. They breed mainly around the Mediterranean and southern Europe, favouring open woodland, scrubby hillsides and dry, rocky landscapes. They are migratory, spending winter largely in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientific name: Phylloscopus bonelli Range: It breeds mainly in southern and central Europe and parts of North Africa, particularly in Spain, Italy, southern France and the Balkans. Migratory: It is a long-distance migrant, spending the winter mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Habitat: It favours open woodland, forest edges and wooded hillsides, often in dry, sunny areas. Size: A small warbler, around 11–12 cm long, with a wingspan of roughly 18–20 cm. Appearance: It has a rather plain greyish-green upper body, pale underparts and a noticeable pale wing panel. The rump is yellowish-green. Song: Its song is a rapid, energetic series of notes, often described as a descending or accelerating trill. It can be surprisingly loud for such a tiny bird. Diet: Mainly eats small insects, caterpillars, spiders and other invertebrates, although it will also take some berries and other plant material. 🪺 Nesting: The nest is usually built low down, close to the ground, concealed amongst vegetation. Breeding: A typical clutch contains around 4–6 eggs. Young: Both parents participate in feeding the chicks. Identification tip: It can be confused with other Phylloscopus warblers, but the pale wing panel and whitish/cream face markings, combined with its habitat and song, are useful clues. 🇬🇧 In Britain: Bonelli's Warbler is a very rare visitor, so seeing one in the UK is an exciting birding event. The closely related Western Bonelli's Warbler and Eastern Bonelli's Warbler are now generally treated as separate species. A particularly interesting fact The name Bonelli's Warbler honours the Italian naturalist Franco Andrea Bonelli (1784–1830), who collected and described numerous birds and other animals.