Menetries's warbler

Menetries's warbler or Ménétries's warbler is a small passerine bird of Southwest Asia belonging to the genus Curruca. The name of the species commemorates Édouard Ménétries, the French zoologist who described the species in 1832. It is closely related to the Sardinian warbler of the Mediterranean basin and is similar to it in appearance.

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Distribution

Region

Southwest Asia and the Middle East

Typical Environment

Breeds from eastern Turkey and the Caucasus through northern and western Iran and adjacent Transcaucasia and Central Asian fringes. It favors semi-arid lowlands, riverine thickets, tamarisk and pistachio scrub, and field margins with scattered bushes. Outside the breeding season it ranges through the Middle East and into parts of northeastern Africa. Migration follows shrub-lined wadis, coastal scrub, and riparian corridors where cover and insects are abundant.

Altitude Range

0–2000 m

Climate Zone

Subtropical

Characteristics

Size12–13.5 cm

Wing Span16–19 cm

Male Weight0.012 kg

Female Weight0.011 kg

Life Expectancy5 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

Menetries's warbler is a small, skulking warbler of Southwest Asia, named for the French zoologist Édouard Ménétries who described it in 1832. It is closely related to the Sardinian warbler but is paler and more subtle in coloration, with a distinctive habit of flicking its tail to reveal white outer tail feathers. It keeps low in scrub and thickets, often giving harsh scolding calls when disturbed.

Gallery

Menetries's warbler (Curruca mystacea) from United Arab Emirates

Behaviour

Temperament

skulking and active

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats

Social Behavior

Generally seen singly or in pairs during the breeding season, keeping to dense low cover. Builds a small cup nest low in shrubs or thorny bushes; clutch typically 3–5 eggs. Both parents participate in incubation and feeding of the nestlings.

Migratory Pattern

Seasonal migrant

Song Description

Song is a dry, scratchy warble of short phrases delivered from inside cover or a low perch. Calls include harsh scolding rattles and ticking notes, often given while tail-flicking.

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Identification

Leg Colorpinkish-brown

Eye Colordark brown

Plumage

Fine-textured, rather plain warbler plumage with smooth grey to grey-brown upperparts and paler, warm-toned underparts; throat whitish. Tail often held cocked and flicked, showing white outer feathers.

Feeding Habits

Diet

Primarily small insects and other arthropods such as beetles, caterpillars, and spiders gleaned from leaves and twigs. Will also take small berries and soft fruits outside the breeding season when insect prey is scarcer. Foraging is methodical and low to the ground, with frequent tail flicks.

Preferred Environment

Dense, low scrub and riverine thickets, including tamarisk stands, hedgerows, and semi-desert shrubs. Also uses orchards, field margins, and bushy steppe where cover is continuous.

Population

Total Known PopulationStable population of several hundred thousand to a few million individuals

Meratus blue flycatcher

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Meratus white-eye

The Meratus white-eye is a species of bird in the white-eye family, Zosteropidae. The species was described in 2021 by the Indonesian ornithologist Mohammed Irham and his colleagues based on genetic, morphological, and vocal differences from other Zosterops white-eyes. It is endemic to the Meratus Mountains of Indonesian Borneo, where it has been observed on Mount Besar and Mount Karokangen. It inhabits the mid and lower storeys of closed-canopy montane forests at elevations between 1,300 and 1,650 m. It is a typical Zosterops white-eye, with deep olive-green upperparts, yellower underparts, a yellow stripe across the lores, and a distinctive bicoloured bill. Adults have a length of around 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in) and a mass of 8.5–9.5 g (0.30–0.34 oz). Both sexes look alike.

Merlin (bird)

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