Dartford Warbler
Encyclopedia
The Dartford Warbler, Sylvia undata, is a typical warbler
from the warmer parts of western Europe
, and northwestern Africa
. Its breeding range lies west of a line from southern England
to the heel of Italy
(southern Apulia
). The Dartford Warbler is usually resident all-year in its breeding range, but there is some limited migration
.
bird
has distinct male and female plumage
s. The song is a distinctive rattling warble. The plumage of the species is unobtrusive and muted tones, distinguished by its long tail compared with that of other warblers, the colors are adapted to this of dry dead plants, old wood or sunny greyish wood on their habitats. It is almost invisible standing on Mediterranean shrubs.
The male of this small Sylvia has a grey back and head, reddish underparts, and a red eye (see below for photo). The reddish throat is spotted with white. In some populations the male has the plumage that covers head and back of a dark bluish gray color off, like slate or brownish tone. Underneath the bottom of this warbler is auburn brown or pink salmon also off, the throat is speckled with white spots and the sides are a dull grayish tone, being more clear about the abdomen.
The female is paler below, especially on the throat, and a browner grey below. The female also muted in color is brown above and lighter below, with the head and the back in gray-brown. Underparts sometimes pink or a pale red. The female also has white spots, although they are smaller and less marked.
In the immature or juveniles can not identify the sex, and are similar to females.
The type locality is the Provence
in France
. The Dartford Warbler probably forms a superspecies
with Tristram's Warbler
and this in turn seems close to Marmora's Warbler
and the Balearic Warbler. Altogether, this group of typical warblers bears an uncanny resemblance to the Wrentit
, the only species of Sylviidae
from the Americas
(compare Wrentit with Dartford Warbler photo linked below). Still, the Wrentit is less closely related to the genus Sylvia than to the parrotbill
s. Its visual similarity to the Dartford Warbler group is an astounding example of convergent evolution
between birds closely related enough to already share many similarities evolving half a world apart in similar Mediterranean scrub
habitat
.
" species breeds in heathlands
, sometimes near coasts, with gorse
bushes for nesting. Like its relatives, the Dartford Warbler is insectivorous
, but will also take berries. The nest is built in low shrub, and 3-6 eggs are laid. It inhabits open fields with Jara
and degraded scrub brush. Common in heather. In winter may be coming to urban solitary areas, but always it find shrubs in these areas. This shy warblers avoiding to the people. Nests in bushes with thorns and near the ground.
The species is naturally rare. The largest european populations of Sylvia undata focus on Iberian peninsula, and less in large part of France
in Italy
and southern England
. In Africa
can be found only in small areas in the north, being present as wintering in northern Morocco
and northern Algeria
.
These warblers are mostly insectivore
, feeding caterpillar
s, butterfly
s, beetle
s, Spider
s and larva
s, etc.
Dartford Warblers are named for Dartford Heath in north west Kent
, where the population became extinct in the early 20th century. They almost died out in the United Kingdom
in the severe winter of 1962/1963 when the national population dropped to just 10 pairs. However, this species can recover well in good quality habitat, thanks to repeated nesting and a high survival rate for the young. Indeed they recovered in some areas of the UK, but numbers are once again on the decline in other regions of that country, as well as elsewhere.
Formerly classified as a 'Species of Least Concern
' by the IUCN, it was suspected to be rarer than generally assumed. Following the investigation of the apparent decline this was confirmed, and the Dartford Warbler was consequently uplisted to Near Threatened
status in 2008.
Typical warbler
The typical warblers are small birds belonging to the genus Sylvia in the "Old World warbler" family Sylviidae. There are 28 species currently included in the genus, including five species formerly treated in the genus Parisoma, a treatment which left Sylvia paraphyletic...
from the warmer parts of western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and northwestern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Its breeding range lies west of a line from southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to the heel of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(southern Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
). The Dartford Warbler is usually resident all-year in its breeding range, but there is some limited migration
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
.
Description and systematics
Like many typical warblers, this small (13 cm) passerinePasserine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
has distinct male and female plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
s. The song is a distinctive rattling warble. The plumage of the species is unobtrusive and muted tones, distinguished by its long tail compared with that of other warblers, the colors are adapted to this of dry dead plants, old wood or sunny greyish wood on their habitats. It is almost invisible standing on Mediterranean shrubs.
The male of this small Sylvia has a grey back and head, reddish underparts, and a red eye (see below for photo). The reddish throat is spotted with white. In some populations the male has the plumage that covers head and back of a dark bluish gray color off, like slate or brownish tone. Underneath the bottom of this warbler is auburn brown or pink salmon also off, the throat is speckled with white spots and the sides are a dull grayish tone, being more clear about the abdomen.
The female is paler below, especially on the throat, and a browner grey below. The female also muted in color is brown above and lighter below, with the head and the back in gray-brown. Underparts sometimes pink or a pale red. The female also has white spots, although they are smaller and less marked.
In the immature or juveniles can not identify the sex, and are similar to females.
The type locality is the Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The Dartford Warbler probably forms a superspecies
Superspecies
A superspecies is a group of at least two more or less distinctive species with approximately parapatric distributions. Not all species complexes, whether cryptices or ring species are superspecies, and vice versa, but many are...
with Tristram's Warbler
Tristram's Warbler
The Tristram's Warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Sylviidae family.It is found in Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.Its natural habitat is subtropical dry shrubland.-References:...
and this in turn seems close to Marmora's Warbler
Marmora's Warbler
Marmora's Warbler, Sylvia sarda, is a typical warbler, genus Sylvia. It breeds on Mediterranean islands, typically including Corsica and Sardinia. The smaller Balearic Islands subspecies is increasingly given specific status as Balearic Warbler, Sylvia balearica...
and the Balearic Warbler. Altogether, this group of typical warblers bears an uncanny resemblance to the Wrentit
Wrentit
The Wrentit is a small bird that lives in chaparral and bushland. It is the only species in the genus Chamaea....
, the only species of Sylviidae
Sylviidae
Sylviidae is a family of passerine birds that was part of an assemblage known as the Old World warblers. The family was formerly a wastebin taxon with over 400 species of bird in over 70 genera. The family was poorly defined with many characteristics shared with other families...
from the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
(compare Wrentit with Dartford Warbler photo linked below). Still, the Wrentit is less closely related to the genus Sylvia than to the parrotbill
Parrotbill
The parrotbills are a group of peculiar birds native to East and Southeast Asia, though feral populations are known from elsewhere. They are generally small, long-tailed birds which inhabit reedbeds and similar habitat. They feed mainly on seeds, e.g. of grasses, to which their bill, as the name...
s. Its visual similarity to the Dartford Warbler group is an astounding example of convergent evolution
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, both birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are...
between birds closely related enough to already share many similarities evolving half a world apart in similar Mediterranean scrub
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, defined by the World Wildlife Fund, characterized by dry summers and rainy winters. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near some seas, as near San Francisco, which have a sea of cool waters...
habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
.
Ecology and status
This small "warblerWarbler
There are a number of Passeriformes called "warblers". They are not particularly closely related, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal and insectivorous....
" species breeds in heathlands
Lowland heath
Lowland Heath is a Biodiversity Action Plan Habitat as it is an ancient wild landscape type. Natural England's Environmental Stewardship scheme describes it as containing dry heath, wet heath and valley mire communities, usually below 250 metres, on acidic soils and shallow peat, typically...
, sometimes near coasts, with gorse
Gorse
Gorse, furze, furse or whin is a genus of about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green...
bushes for nesting. Like its relatives, the Dartford Warbler is insectivorous
Insectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
, but will also take berries. The nest is built in low shrub, and 3-6 eggs are laid. It inhabits open fields with Jara
Jara
Jara or JARA may refer to:*Jara language, Nigerian language*Jara River, tributary of the Şuşiţa River, Romania*Jara, Ethiopia A miraculous mountain near Wallaga*La Jara, New Mexico, census-designated place in Sandoval County, United States...
and degraded scrub brush. Common in heather. In winter may be coming to urban solitary areas, but always it find shrubs in these areas. This shy warblers avoiding to the people. Nests in bushes with thorns and near the ground.
The species is naturally rare. The largest european populations of Sylvia undata focus on Iberian peninsula, and less in large part of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
can be found only in small areas in the north, being present as wintering in northern Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and northern Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
.
These warblers are mostly insectivore
Insectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
, feeding caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s, butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
s, beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s, Spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s and larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
s, etc.
Dartford Warblers are named for Dartford Heath in north west Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, where the population became extinct in the early 20th century. They almost died out in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the severe winter of 1962/1963 when the national population dropped to just 10 pairs. However, this species can recover well in good quality habitat, thanks to repeated nesting and a high survival rate for the young. Indeed they recovered in some areas of the UK, but numbers are once again on the decline in other regions of that country, as well as elsewhere.
Formerly classified as a 'Species of Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
' by the IUCN, it was suspected to be rarer than generally assumed. Following the investigation of the apparent decline this was confirmed, and the Dartford Warbler was consequently uplisted to Near Threatened
Near Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
status in 2008.
Sub-species
- Sylvia undata dartfordiensis (south EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and north-west FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - Sylvia undata toni (north-west AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
) - Sylvia undata undata (Iberian PeninsulaIberian PeninsulaThe Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
and south FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - Sylvia undata aremorica
- Sylvia undata naevalbens
External links
- Avibase
- Chelmarsh Ringing Group: Photo of hand-held Dartford Warbler. Retrieved 2007-APR-26.
- Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta
