Subalpine Warbler

Curruca cantillans

Sings from low Mediterranean scrub with a salmon-pink throat. Splits into three species depending on which taxonomist you ask.

Population: Not separately quantified since the 2020 IOC taxonomic split (Western/Eastern/Moltoni's); trend reported as increasing, no verified numeric IUCN/BirdLife DataZone figure obtained
Habitat: Dry Mediterranean scrub, tall dense heterogeneous maquis with sparse tree cover, holm/cork oak edges, and bushy sunny ravines, up to ~2,200 m elevation
Fun fact: The male's slate/blue-grey head and brick-red underparts are set off by a bold white "moustache" streak below the eye — one of the clearest field marks separating it from close Sylvia/Curruca relatives, and the character that distinguishes the deeper-grey, blacker-masked eastern form from the western taxon after the 2020 split.
Range: Breeds in southernmost Europe (Italy, Balkans and wider Mediterranean basin for the eastern taxon post-split; Portugal-to-Greece and NW Africa for the pre-split/combined concept); winters in sub-Saharan Africa (Sahel belt); occasional vagrant further north (e.g. UK)
Diet: Small insects, spiders and larvae gleaned from foliage during breeding season; shifts to berries and soft fruit in autumn/winter ahead of migration
Size: 0.12 m
Wingspan: 0.17 m
Lifespan: 5 years

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