21

Western Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia iberiae) German name(s): "Weißbartgrasmücke", "Bartgrasmücke" Size: 12-13 cm; wing span: 15-19 cm Body mass: 7-16 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.13-0.16/0.20-0.25 (lean/fat)

Europe: Family Group 21 Family Group 21 Table European Pied Flycatcher Collared Flycatcher Semicollared Flycatcher Spotted Flycatcher Red-breasted Flycatcher Lesser Whitethroat Common Whitethroat Western Orphean Warbler Western Subalpine Warbler Dartford Warbler Sardinian Warbler Barred Warbler Eurasian Blackcap Garden Warbler Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Western Subalpine Warblers are small insectivore birds. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Males have a grey head, down to the ear coverts, mantle, upperwing coverts and back. On the grey sides of the head the eyes are surrounded by red orbital rings. From the gape backwards and downwards, they have a white moutachial stripe. The front, from the chin downwards, is rusty-orange to the chest, getting paler and more greyish downwards towards the vent and undertail coverts. The flight feathers are dark-grey with thin pale edges. Females have a lighter-grey head than males, with more inconspicuous moustachial stripes. The front is mostly off-white to light grey, with a pinkish-buff wash, especially on throat along the sides and flanks. The mantle and back are brownish-grey. Their dark-grey flight feathers have faint lighter-grey edges. Both sexes have orange-brown to brown irises, a grey upper mandible and a horn-coloured lower mandible and pinkish-brown legs and feet. Juveniles have a light-grey front, greyish-brown back, and their wing feathers have bold rufous edge lining. The tertials have prominent black centres.

Taxonomy, classification See Western Subalpine Warbler at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information We follow the view here that the Western Subalpine Warbler and the Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Sylvia albistriata, are different at the species level.

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Western Subalpine Warbler is available HERE . Western Subalpine Warblers are a migratory species. Their winter quarters are in western sub-Saharan Africa, while their breeding range encompasses near-coastal north-western Africa, south-western and parts of southern Europe. In Europe Western Subalpine Warblers are found as summer breeding migrants in Iberia, the Balearic Islands, and southern France. Western Subalpine Warblers have a preference for breeding in dry scrub, often on slopes, in heath or in dense shrubs along watercourses. They are less often found in open woodland.

Sightings Click here for sighting information J. Pires reports spotting Western Subalpine Warblers occasionally in the area from Mora, Evora, Portugal, to Montargil, Alentejo, Portugal. The species was also found at Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, in October 2018, and at Faro, Algarve, Portugal, in October 2020. All sighting, photographic and audio information presented on this page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.

Photos

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male Western Subalpine Warbler; note the white moustachial stripe but otherwise buff throat
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Quinta de Marim, Olhao, Faro, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]

Partly obsured near-frontal view of a male Western Subalpine Warbler (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Quinta de Marim, Olhao, Faro, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]

Lateral view of a male Western Subalpine Warbler (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Quinta de Marim, Olhao, Faro, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]

Lateral view of a male Western Subalpine Warbler, different stance (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Quinta de Marim, Olhao, Faro, Algarve, Portugal, October 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a male Western Subalpine Warbler (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Western Subalpine Warbler keen on blackberries (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2022]

Direct near-frontal comparison of a female Western Subalpine Warbler, left, with a juvenile (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2022]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Western Subalpine Warbler (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2022]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Western Subalpine Warbler keen on blackberries (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2022]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Western Subalpine Warbler; note the pale iris and the absence of a clearly defined orbital ring (either white feathers or red skin) (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2022]

Direct near-frontal comparison of a female Western Subalpine Warbler, left, with a juvenile (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2022]

Frontal view of a female Western Subalpine Warbler, back, with a lateral view of a juvenile, front; note the juvenile's paler iris and the absence of a clearly defined orbital ring (either white feathers or red skin) (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2022]

Lateral view of a female Western Subalpine Warbler, back, with a lateral view of a juvenile, front, both keen on blackberries (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2022]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Distant lateral view of a male Western Subalpine Warbler in heathland (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2018]

Food, Diet

Lateral/ventral view of a female Western Subalpine Warbler keen on blackberries (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2022]

Lateral view of a female Western Subalpine Warbler keen on blackberries - this time taking a bigger bite
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2022]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

wsubwrb_jp_20200319. m4a	(Portugal)	Warning calls	© JP
wsubwrb_jp_20220904. mp3	(Portugal)	Warning calls(?)	© JP
wsubwrb_jp_20220904_2. mp3	(Portugal)	?	© JP

More Western Subalpine Warbler sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.