Birds · Passeriformes · Sylviidae

Dartford Warbler

Curruca undata

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

The Dartford warbler is a small, dark bird with a wine-coloured belly and a long tail that it usually holds cocked, closely tied to low Mediterranean scrub. It is resident across almost all its range, which makes it vulnerable to hard winters and to fire. Spain holds most of the world population. Its decline is caused by the loss of scrub to repeated fires, land clearance and afforestation, and has taken the species into the near-threatened category.

Weight

8 g – 12 g

Size

12 cm – 14 cm

Lifespan

5 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

Temperate forestGrasslandInsectivore Diurnal In pairs Near Threatened Bird Temperate forest Grassland

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Fun facts

GeneralResident and closely tied to scrub; fires hit it hard.
Spain holds most of the world population of the species: what happens to the Mediterranean scrub here determines its global future.
It is resident and highly sensitive to cold: a particularly hard winter can crash the populations at the northern edge of its range, as happened in England in the 1960s, when it came close to disappearing from the country.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Low, dense Mediterranean scrub: cistus, heath, thyme and garrigue of south-western Europe
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 13 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 4 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/