Icterine Warbler
Encyclopedia
The Icterine Warbler is an Old World warbler
in the tree warbler
genus Hippolais . It breeds in mainland Europe
except the southwest, where it is replaced by its western counterpart, Melodious Warbler
. It is migratory
, wintering in sub-Sahara
n Africa
. The term icterine
refers to its yellowish colouration.
This small passerine
bird
is a species found in open deciduous woodland with bushes and also parks and gardens, often near water. Four to six eggs
are laid in a nest in a tree or a bush.
This is a medium-sized warbler, 12–13.5 cm in length, similar to Melodious Warbler. The adult has a plain greenish-brown back with a paler wing panel, and yellowish underparts. The bill is slightly orange, strong and pointed, and the legs blue-grey. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are paler on the belly.
Like most warblers, Icterine is insectivorous, but will take other small food items including berries
.
The song is a fast nasal babbling incorporating mimicry of other species. The call is described as "teck" or "tec, tec, tec".
It is colloquially referred to by birders as Icky.
Old World warbler
The "Old World Warblers" is the name used to describe a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the cisticolas into...
in the tree warbler
Tree warbler
Tree warblers are medium-sized warblers belonging to the genus Hippolais, formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" family Sylviidae but now separated in the marsh- and tree-warbler family Acrocephalidae. They are found in Europe, Africa and western Asia....
genus Hippolais . It breeds in mainland 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...
except the southwest, where it is replaced by its western counterpart, Melodious Warbler
Melodious Warbler
The Melodious Warbler is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus Hippolais. It breeds in southwest Europe and northwest Africa. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa....
. It is migratory
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...
, wintering in sub-Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
n 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...
. The term icterine
Icterine
Icterine is a colour, described as yellowish, jaundice-yellow or marked with yellow. It is derived from Ancient Greek ikteros , via the Latin ictericus. It is used as an adjective in the names of birds with yellowish plumage to describe their appearance, including the Icterine Warbler and...
refers to its yellowish colouration.
This small passerine
Passerine
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...
is a species found in open deciduous woodland with bushes and also parks and gardens, often near water. Four to six eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
are laid in a nest in a tree or a bush.
This is a medium-sized warbler, 12–13.5 cm in length, similar to Melodious Warbler. The adult has a plain greenish-brown back with a paler wing panel, and yellowish underparts. The bill is slightly orange, strong and pointed, and the legs blue-grey. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are paler on the belly.
Like most warblers, Icterine is insectivorous, but will take other small food items including berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
.
The song is a fast nasal babbling incorporating mimicry of other species. The call is described as "teck" or "tec, tec, tec".
It is colloquially referred to by birders as Icky.
External links
- Icterine Warbler from BirdGuides