Orphean Warbler

About the Orphean Warbler

The western Orphean warbler (Curruca hortensis) is an Old World warbler of the genus Curruca. This species occurs in summer around the Mediterranean, through western Europe and extending into northwest Africa. It is migratory, wintering in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a rare vagrant to northern and north-western Europe.

The English name refers to the mythical musician and singer Orpheus. The specific hortensis is Latin for "of a garden", from hortus, "garden". Two subspecies are unequivocally accepted, but they are now usually considered separate species.

The western Orphean warbler is probably most closely allied to the Arabian warbler, as well as the brown warbler and Yemen warblers which are sometimes placed in Parisoma. They together with the lesser whitethroat group seem to form a distinct clade of typical warblers. The species therein do not appear much alike at first glance, but they all have prominent white throats, lack rufous wing-patches, and usually having dark sides to the head.

At 15–16 centimetres (6–6+1⁄4 in) in length – somewhat larger than a blackcap – this is one of the largest species of typical warblers. The adult males... Wikipedia →