Asian Desert Warbler

Desert Warbler (Sylvia nana )

The Desert Warbler (Sylvia nana ) is a passerine bird in the genus of warblers (Sylvia ). It breeds in semi-desert in the west of North Africa and in the steppes north of the Caspian Sea.

Description

The desert warbler is 11.5 to 12.5 inches long, making it one of the smallest warblers.

The bright plumage is sandy colored on the top. The shield feathers and coverts have large ocher-colored seams. The tail is russet conspicuously on the top, the middle tail-feathers have black shaft lines, the outermost tail feathers are white. The throat and underside are white, as is the wide eye ring, which is extended as eyes glancing up to the beak-root. The ear-coverts are deducted light brown. The iris is yellow, the legs are pale yellow-brown. The beak is slender and dull yellowish, only at the top and dark on the ridge. Males and females look alike.

The desert warbler is lively and restless. She considers herself to much on the ground and bounces around there.

Voice

The call is light scolding alarm " tscher'r'r'r " and similar to that of house sparrows and blue tits.

The song consists of bright, jerky verses that are similar to the Whitethroat in the rhythm and made ​​from mostly clear and a few rougher tones.

System

There are two subspecies:

• S. deserti n is on the top light yellow -beige, lives in the west of its range in North Africa and is a sedentary bird

Habitat and Distribution

The desert warbler lives in sandy or rocky semi-deserts, dry steppes with various low bushes or areas with herbs and grasses.

Its distribution area are individual regions in the west of North Africa (p. n deserti ) and South Eastern Russia, Central Asia and Iran (p. n nana ).