The wood warbler is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe, and just into the extreme west of Asian Russia in the southern Ural Mountains. It is strongly migratory and the entire population winters in tropical Africa.
Region
Europe (breeding) and West & Central Africa (wintering)
Typical Environment
Breeds from Britain and France through Scandinavia and central/eastern Europe to the southern Urals. Prefers mature, airy deciduous or mixed forests with sparse understory, especially beech and oak on sloping terrain. In winter it occupies lowland and upland tropical forests, forest edges, and gallery woodland in West and Central Africa. During migration it uses a variety of wooded habitats, including parks and shelterbelts.
Altitude Range
0–1800 m
Climate Zone
Other
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Wood warblers breed in mature, open deciduous woods across much of Europe and winter in tropical Africa. Their accelerating, spinning-coin song is one of the most distinctive sounds of spring beech and oak forests. They build neat domed nests on the ground, making them vulnerable to trampling and predators where understory structure is poor.
Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
In the breeding season, males hold territories and sing prominently from the canopy. Nests are domed and placed on the ground in leaf litter; the female performs most incubation while both parents feed the young. Outside breeding, it is more tolerant and may travel loosely with mixed-species flocks during migration and on the wintering grounds.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
The song starts with a series of accelerating, ringing notes that culminate in a shimmering, spinning trill like a coin on a tabletop. Calls include a soft, disyllabic ‘tuit’ and thin contact notes.
