Sylvia warblers | Sylviidae

Grasmussen | Currucas

Sturdier than the leaf warblers, with a thicker bill and a stronger head; these are birds of scrub, thorn hedge and maquis that move low and under cover. Many have a bare eye-ring and a strikingly coloured iris, and males wear a dark or contrasting head while females stay browner — an unusual difference among songbirds of this size. They take insects in summer, but from late summer switch largely to fruit, which fuels their migration and spreads a great many seeds. The nest is a neat, thin-walled cup low in a bush; males often build several unfinished nests before one is taken into use.