The Willow Warbler was @SpeciesofUK from 31st
March to 6th April, 2014.
Willow
Warblers are slim, delicate birds of woodland, scrub, parks and gardens.[1]
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| Willow Warbler [Flickr Creative Commons © Muchaxo] |
They
migrate to the UK for the summer from southern Africa.[2]
The willow warbler has recently been re-classed in
a new family.
The
willow warbler is one of the many birds that used to be grouped in the Sylviidae family, the so-called 'Old World
warblers.’[3]
Sylviidae was used to describe small insectivorous birds of
undistinguished appearance. But recently it's been split up into several
distinct families.[4]
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| Willow Warbler [Wikimedia Commons © Aviceda] |
Since
2006, the willow warbler has been placed in the Phylloscopidae family with chiffchaffs, wood warblers and other
so-called 'leaf warblers.'[5]
The
willow warbler was sometimes known as the 'willow wren' up until the nineteenth
century.[6]
 |
| Acrobatic Willow Warbler [Flickr Creative Commons © Sergey Yeliseev] |
The UK is at the edge of the willow warbler’s
breeding range.
The
breeding range of the willow warbler extends from the UK and Ireland at the
very west, to Siberia in the east.[7]
Willow warblers are the most common bird in Scandinavia, where they comfortably
outnumber people.[8]
Willow
warblers migrate to the UK and Europe for summer from southern Africa. The
males arrive late in March and the females a couple of weeks after that.[9]
The
willow warblers from eastern Siberia migrate about 12,000km to their wintering
grounds in Africa, which is one of the longest migrations for a small bird.[10]
 |
| Juvenile willow warbler from Russia [Flickr Creative Commons © Sergey Yeliseev] |
The UK’s willow
warbler population has undergone a moderate decline over the last 25 years, especially
in southern Britain.[11]
In Scotland however they’ve been very slightly on the increase.[12]
Willow warblers are small.
Willow
warblers are grey-green on the back and pale underneath, tinged with yellow on
the chest. They’re a small bird.[13]
 |
| Willow Warbler [Flickr Creative Commons © Jose Sousa] |
They have
a pale supercillium (stripe above the eye).[14]
 |
| Willow Warbler Supercilium [Flickr Creative Commons © gailhampshire] |
Willow
warblers are usually heard before they're seen. You'll notice a melodious,
warbling song from amongst the tree canopy.[15]
 |
| Willow Warbler Singing [Wikimedia Commons © Adreas Trepte] |
Brighten
your day with the willow warbler's lovely song:
Like
other warblers, willow warblers are insectivores, but will also eat berries and
fruit in the autumn.[16]
 |
| Willow warblers are insectivores [Flickr Creative Commons © Sergey Yeliseev] |
Willow warblers are very similar looking to
chiffchaffs.
However,
willow warblers have pale reddish feet and chiffchaffs dark grey.[17]
 |
| A Chiffchaff [Flickr Creative Commons © Brendan Ryan] |
The best
way to distinguish the willow warbler from the chiffchaff is by its song, which
is very different from the chiffchaff's simple repetition of its own name.[18]
Willow
warblers also tend to sing in the midst of smaller trees, whereas the
chiffchaff prefers to sing in high treetops.[19]
Here is a short video guide from the BTO on the differences between willow warblers and
chiffchaffs:
Strange but true…
Unusually,
willow warblers moult twice each year - once at their breeding grounds and
again at their wintering grounds. No one's quite sure why.[20]
[1] http://mobile.wildlifetrusts.org/site/wildlifetrusts?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wildlifetrusts.org%2Fspecies%2Fwillow-warbler#2594
[2] Derwent May, Nature
Notes, p.56-57;
http://mobile.wildlifetrusts.org/site/wildlifetrusts?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wildlifetrusts.org%2Fspecies%2Fwillow-warbler#2594
[3] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_World_warblers
[4] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_World_warblers
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Warbler
[7] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Warbler
[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Warbler
[9] Derwent May, Nature
Notes, p.56-57;
http://mobile.wildlifetrusts.org/site/wildlifetrusts?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wildlifetrusts.org%2Fspecies%2Fwillow-warbler#2594
[10] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Warbler
[11] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/w/willowwarbler/
[16] http://mobile.wildlifetrusts.org/site/wildlifetrusts?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wildlifetrusts.org%2Fspecies%2Fwillow-warbler#2594
[17] Derwent May, Nature
Notes, p.56; http://mobile.wildlifetrusts.org/site/wildlifetrusts?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wildlifetrusts.org%2Fspecies%2Fwillow-warbler#2594
[18] Derwent May, Nature
Notes, p.56-57.
[19] Derwent May, Nature
Notes, p.57.
[20] http://mobile.wildlifetrusts.org/site/wildlifetrusts?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wildlifetrusts.org%2Fspecies%2Fwillow-warbler#2594
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