UKBirds

Dartford Warbler

Sylvia undata

The Dartford Warbler, Sylvia undata, is a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe and northwestern Africa. Its breeding range lies west of a line from southern England to the heel of Italy (southern Apulia). The Dartford Warbler is usually resident all year in its breeding range, but there is some limited migration.

The Dartford Warbler is a small (13 cm) passerine bird, distinguished by its long tail compared with that of other warblers. Its plumage comprises unobtrusive and muted tones, which blend in with the dry dead plants, old wood or sunny greyish wood found in its preferred habitats.

Like many typical warblers, the Dartford Warbler has distinct male and female plumages. The male has a grey back and head, reddish underparts, and a red eye. The reddish throat is spotted with white. The sides are a dull greyish tone, being more clear about the abdomen. In some populations males have bluish-grey or brownish-grey backs and heads. The female is paler below, especially on the throat, and a browner grey above. The female's throat also has white spots, although they are smaller and less marked than in the male. Juvenile birds are similar to females.

The song of the Dartford Warbler is a distinctive rattling warble.

The type locality of the Dartford Warbler is Provence in France. This species probably forms a superspecies with Tristram's Warbler and this in turn seems close to Marmora's Warbler and the Balearic Warbler. Altogether, this group of typical warblers bears a resemblance to the Wrentit, the only species of Sylviidae from the Americas. However the Wrentit is less closely related to the genus Sylvia than to the parrotbills. Its visual similarity to the Dartford Warbler group is an example of convergent evolution.