Animalia Life

Hippolais icterina
SUBFAMILY
Sylviinae
TAXONOMY
Hippolais icterina Viellot, 1817.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Hypolaпs ictйrine; German: Gelbspцtter; Spanish: Zarcero Icterino.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
4.9–5.3 in (12.5–13.5 cm); 0.3–0.8 oz (8–23 g). Small warbler with olive to gray-olive upperparts, yellowish underparts, pale eye line, and long, thin bill.
DISTRIBUTION
France, Balkans, and Scandinavia east to southwest Siberia. Winters in Southern Africa.
HABITAT
Open forests, orchards gardens and edges; often in lowlands and river valleys.
BEHAVIOR
Active and vocal, but usually remains in foliage. Territorial on breeding and wintering grounds. Song rapid, varied, including musical phrases and mimicry.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Insects, fruit in late summer. Forages in foliage, gleaning insects and sallying to catch aerial prey.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Monogamous. Nest is neat cup of plant material, decorated on outside with bark, paper, wool, etc., built by female in fork of shrub or tree. Four to five eggs incubated by female for 13–15 days; young, cared for by both parents, leave nest after 12–16 days, independent after 1–2 weeks.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.

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