Curruca cantillans
Silhouette: Alexis Lours · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The eastern subalpine warbler (Curruca cantillans) is a small Sylviidae warbler which breeds in the southernmost areas of Europe. It was first described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 and given the binomial name Motacilla cantillans. The specific cantillans is Latin for "warbling" from canere, "to sing".
Like most Curruca species, it has distinct male and female plumages. The adult male has a grey back and head, brick-red underparts, and white malar streaks ("moustaches"). The female is mainly brown above, with a greyer head, and whitish below with a pink flush. The subalpine warbler's song is fast and rattling, and is similar to the lesser whitethroat.
This bird seems to be related to the Sardinian warbler-Menetries' warbler superspecies. They all have white malar areas, the heads being dark above in adult males, and naked eye-rings. These three species are related to a superspecies consisting of Rüppell's warbler and the Cyprus warbler, which also share the white malar area with blackish above (Shirihai et al. 2001, Jønsson & Fjeldså 2006 ).
The subalpine warbler is divided into two distinct subspecies groups, which may possibly be sufficiently diverged to qualify as two separate species (Shirihai et al. 2001). The two groups have differing male plumages, distinctive calls, and are allopatric; on this particular issue, further study is needed. In May 2020, the IOC world bird list recognised the split of western and eastern subalpine warblers into two distinct species.
Moltoni's warbler was formerly considered conspecific. The eastern subalpine warbler differs from the western subalpine warbler by its deeper blue-grey upperparts, a blackish mask on the lores and ear-coverts, brick reddish-brown coloration confined to the throat and breast and sharply demarcated from a largely white belly, paler flanks and a wider white submoustachial stripe.
This is a bird of dry open country, often on hill slopes, with bushes for nesting. The nest is built in low shrub or gorse, and 3–5 eggs are laid. Like most "warblers", it is insectivorous, but will also take berries. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Subalpine Warbler sighting in Antalya on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 103rd most-seen of the 131 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Subalpine Warbler in Antalya on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Eastern Subalpine Warbler sightings, Antalya ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Athens (Greece, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Subalpine Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Antalya (9 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
