Sylviid warblers · Perching birds
Garden Warbler
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Sylvia borin
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Voice
Song
Song
Song
How to recognize it
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14 cm long; slim silhouette with long wings and tail
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Plain olive-brown upperparts, dull white underparts and undertail
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Male song: melodic warbling in brief bursts, usually from dense cover
About the species
Olive-brown above and dull white below, the Garden Warbler has a pale ring around the eye and a faint line just above it. A buff wash may tint its throat and flanks, while the rest of its plumage is plain and unstreaked. Males and females look alike. Juveniles are duller, with paler, greyer upperparts.
Its rich, musical song comes in bursts from dense cover, often lasting only a few seconds. When alarmed, it gives a rapid "kek-kek". It picks insects from leaves and twigs, sometimes hovering to reach them.
It breeds in open woodland, thickets and bushy edges, where dense low growth provides cover. Despite its name, gardens are rarely occupied. Insects dominate its diet during breeding, while berries and other soft fruit become important before its autumn migration to sub-Saharan Africa, where it spends the winter and eats both fruit and insects.
Where to find
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At a woodland edge in the breeding season, listen for the Garden Warbler's rich, brief bursts of song from dense cover.
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In shady open woodland with thick undergrowth, watch below six metres as it picks insects from leaves and twigs, sometimes hovering.
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In late summer, among berry-bearing thickets, watch it pick fruit while perched.
