Curruca iberiae
Silhouette: Alexis Lours · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The western subalpine warbler (Curruca iberiae) is a small Sylviidae warbler which breeds in the southernmost areas of Europe and north-western Africa. 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; further study is needed. In May 2020, the IOC world bird list the western and eastern subalpine warblers were split into two distinct species.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Subalpine Warbler sighting in Madrid on a given day, based on 94 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 129th most-seen of the 196 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.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Subalpine Warbler in Madrid on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Subalpine Warbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 7
Of the 7 cities where we can rate Western Subalpine Warbler sightings, Madrid ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Dakar (Senegal, about 10%), Valencia (Spain, under 5%) and Barcelona (Spain, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Subalpine Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Madrid (94 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.
