Western orphean warbler

A Mediterranean species breeding in Southern Europe, Turkey, the Southern Caucasus Mountains, Central Asia and Northern Africa. In Bulgaria it is found only in the southernmost parts of the country – the valleys of the Struma and Mesta rivers, the foothills of South Pirin, Slavyanka, Ograzhden and Maleshevska mountain, in the Eastern Rhodopes, Sakar, Derventa hills, the western slopes of Strandzha, in Sliven, Burgas and Cape Emine.

The Western orphean warbler in Bulgaria reaches a size of 15 cm. The plumage of the males is gray-brown with an almost black head and a white ring around the eye, below it is whitish with ocher chests. The females have a dark gray head.

The pairs nest in early April. Nesting sites are usually next to brambles, almond pears or among the thickets of blackberries. The eggs are laid from the end of April to the end of May. The juveniles remain in the nests from May to mid-June. They feed on insects and fruits.

They prefer pseudomaquises and dry-loving formations similar to them of thorn, hornbeam, oak, juniper, etc., and among the thick shrubs overgrown with blackberry along the borders of extensively used moderately-sized areas of vineyards, orchards, vegetable gardens, etc.

Unknown.

This species falls in the Red Book of Bulgaria, under the category “Vulnerable” (VU), as well as in Annex 3 of the Biodiversity Act (BDA).

The Western orphean warbler is also on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – with the category “Least Concern” (LC).

*Note: For the description of birds is used information from: Golemanski, V. & al. (eds). 2015. Red Data Book of the Republic of Bulgaria. Vol. 2. Animals. BAS & MoEW, Sofia [English ed.: ISBN 978-954-9746-22-8 (IBER – BAS), 978-954-8497-18-3 (MoEW)]; Michev T., D. Simeonov, L. Profirov. 2012. Birds of the Balkan Peninsula. Ecotan, Sofia, 300 pp; the website of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).