Garden Warbler

'''Habitat:''' Eurasia and Africa; breeds in most of temperate Europe (12–28°C (54–75°F)) east across temperate Asia to the Yenisei River in Siberia. Its range extends further north than any other Sylvia warbler. All populations are migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa as far south as South Africa. Birds from central Europe initially migrate to the southwest, reorientating to the south or southeast once in Africa, although Scandinavian migrants may head south through the Alps and across the Mediterranean Sea. ''S. b. woodwardi'' reaches Africa by a more easterly route, many birds passing through the Arabian Peninsula.  

The breeding habitat of the Garden Warbler is open areas with dense bushes, including thickets and woodland edges. Shady areas and a bushy or herbaceous undergrowth are preferred, as are woods adjacent to rivers or reed beds. A tolerance of willow, alder and birch allows it to breed farther north and at higher altitudes than any other European Sylvia warbler. Mature conifers and dense plantations are avoided, although young conifer plantations with thick undergrowth are suitable for nesting. Despite its name, it is not a bird of gardens. In Africa, a wide range of habitats with trees are used, although closed forests and arid areas are again avoided. This warbler occurs at altitudes of up to 2,600 m (8,500 ft) in suitable mountain woodland, although in East Africa it is usually found at a lower altitude than the Blackcap, and in moister areas than the Common Whitethroat

'''Status:''' Least Concern. '''Global population:''' 54,300,000-124,000,000 individuals.  In Europe, trends since 1980 show that populations have undergone a moderate decline. The Garden Warbler is hunted by Eurasian Sparrowhawks and domestic cats, and its eggs and nestlings are taken by a variety of mammalian and avian predators. It may be host to various fleas, mites and internal parasites, and it is a host of the Common Cuckoo, a brood parasite. Despite a small population decline in much of its European range, the bird's breeding distribution is expanding northwards in Scandinavia.

'''Diet:''' Insects, berries and fruit. The Garden Warbler feeds mainly on insects in the breeding season, although other small invertebrates such as spiders are also eaten. It picks its prey off leaves and twigs, sometimes hovering to do so. It normally forages at less than 6 m (20 ft) above the ground. After nesting, there is a genetically controlled switch to a fruit diet, although insects are still consumed while the birds fatten prior to migration; birds gain weight more rapidly from a diet containing both fruit and insects than either alone. Berries and other soft fruit are preferred, and figs are particularly important for birds preparing to migrate. This predilection gives rise to the Italian beccafico (fig pecker) and Portuguese felosa-das-figueiras (fig-tree warbler) as names for this species. On this diet a bird can gain weight quickly and the liver increases the rate at which it produces fatty acids for storage in adipose tissue.

In Africa, the warbler eats insects as well as berries and fruit. An increase in body mass occurs again before the northward migration, birds fattening even more rapidly than prior to their southward journey. Most internal organs (including the liver, spleen, intestines, kidneys and heart) and the flight muscles lose weight during the journey over the Sahara, although the testes quadruple in mass in preparation for the breeding season.

 

Fruit is normally picked by a perched bird, although there is a record of a mulberry fruit being taken in flight. Garden Warblers often feed with conspecifics and other fruit-eating passerines.

Garden Warblers first breed when they are one year old, and are mainly monogamous. male attracts a female to his territory through song and a display which involves rapid wing beating while perched. He will also build a number of simple nests (cock's nests) to show to his mate, although only rarely will she complete the structure, usually starting afresh. The nest is concealed in vegetation, the nature of which depends on local availability. The nest is a cup of dry grass, moss and twigs, with a soft lining of finer plant material or hair.  

The first eggs are laid in late April in southern Germany, early May in northwest Europe, and late May in Finland. The season is prolonged with some birds nesting as late as July. The clutch is typically four or five eggs, which are usually whitish or buff with grey, purple and brown blotches.  The eggs are incubated for 11–12 days by both adults, although only the female stays on the nest at night. They fledge about 10 days after hatching.

'''Cool Facts:'''  The Garden Warbler and its nearest relative, the Blackcap, are an ancient species pair which diverged very early from the rest of the Sylvia genus, between 12 and 16 million years ago. In the course of time, these two species have become sufficiently distinctive that they have been placed in separate subgenera, with the Blackcap in subgenus Sylvia and the Garden Warbler in Epilais. These sister species have a breeding range which extends farther northeast than all other Sylvia species except the Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat.

'''Found in Songbird Remix Woodland Jewels'''