Sardinian Warbler

Curruca melanocephala

Mediterranean scrub bird with a red eye-ring and a rattling alarm call. Permanently irritated courier.

Population: 25,000,000-54,000,000 mature individuals (global); European segment ~7.65-16.1 million breeding pairs (2015), stable 1989-2013, with occasional >50% crashes in northern populations after harsh winters
Habitat: Dense low scrub, maquis, garrigue, bramble thickets, and bushy cultivated/open country (also urban/suburban gardens with evergreen shrubs), typically in dry Mediterranean climates; up to 1,800 m in NW Africa
Fun fact: The male Sardinian Warbler is unmistakable among Mediterranean scrub warblers for its jet-black hood, white throat, and vivid red eye-ring, and it often gives away its presence with a fast, scolding, rattling call from deep inside dense bramble or maquis before it is ever seen.
Range: Resident and short-distance migrant across the Mediterranean basin, from Iberia and the Canary Islands through France, Italy, and the Balkans to Turkey and the Levant, plus North Africa (Morocco to Egypt); breeding range has been recently expanding; a rare vagrant north to Great Britain
Diet: Mainly insects and other small invertebrates (beetles, spiders, larvae), especially in the breeding season; also berries and soft fruit (figs, blackberries, olives, bramble berries), particularly in autumn/winter
Size: 0.135 m
Wingspan: 0.16 m
Lifespan: 9 years

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