Scientific name: Sylvia melanocephala (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Bird group: Warblers
Field characters. 13 cm. Male with black head, extending down onto ear-coverts. Upperparts dark grey, wings with narrow lighter edges on flight feathers; underparts lighter grey, throat white, contrasting with black head. Tail black, outer feathers with white tips. Head of female grey, not black, and upperparts slightly browner. Both sexes have broad red eye-ring and red iris. Legs reddish. Restless, often seen sitting on top of a bush, cocking and waving tail and flicking wings. Flight fluttery and bobbing. Song given from perch, followed by song flight.
Voice. Call 'tec' and characteristic fast and scolding 'trètrètrètrè'. Song warbling, resembling Common Whitethroat, but harsher and longer.
Distribution. Very common. Resident, unlike most other Sylvia warblers, but some southward movement occurs in winter.
Habitat. Maquis, scrub and open forest with dense undergrowth.
Food. Invertebrates and berries.