Arabian warbler: Difference between revisions

| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{IUCNcite iucn|idurl=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22716949/94516607 |title=''SylviaCurruca leucomelaena'' |assessorsauthor=[[BirdLife International]] |versionauthor-link=2013.2BirdLife International |year=20122016 |accessdatedoi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22716949A94516607.en|access-date=2721 NovemberOctober 20152022}}</ref>

| regnumgenus = [[Animalia]]Curruca

| phylumspecies = [[Chordata]]leucomelaena

The '''Arabian warbler''' ('''''Curruca leucomelaena'''''), also known as '''Red Sea warbler''' or '''Blandford's warbler''' (''Sylvia leucomelaena''), is a species of [[Old World warbler]] in the family [[Sylviidae]] family.

Four subspecies are recognised; ''SC. l. negevensis'', from the [[Arava Valley]] in Israel and Jordan; ''SC. l. leucomelaena'', from northwestern Saudi Arabia southward to Yemen and then eastward to Oman; ''SC. l. blanfordi'', from southeastern Egypt to southeastern Eritrea; and ''SC. l. somaliensis'', from Djibouti and northern Somalia.<ref name=HBWA/>

The Arabian warbler is a large member of its genus, with a length of about {{convert|14.5|cm|in|1|abbr=on}}. It has an upright posture, relatively short, rounded wings and a long, graduated tail which it characteristically flicks downwards. The male has a white eye-ring, a blackish-brown hood and tail, greyish-brown upper parts, a whitish throat and pale grey underparts. The female is similar but the hood and tail are chocolate brown and the eye ring is less conspicuous. The song, normally uttered only by the male, is a short melodious, thrush-like bubbling warble, usually sung from an elevated perch, but sometimes sung from cover. The alarm call is a series of quiet "chack"s.<ref name=Helbig>{{cite book|author1=Helbig, Andreas |author2=Gargallo, Gabriel |author3=Shirihai, Hadoram |title=Sylvia Warblers: Identification, taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus ''Sylvia''|url=httphttps://books.google.com/books?id=gyTZKwGPvUMC&pg=PA190 |year=2010 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-4081-3509-9 |pages=190–196}}</ref>

The Arabian warbler forages for insects and small arthropods, and also feeds on berries. Breeding takes place in the spring and there are often two or more broods. In Israel nesting takes place between February and mid-June.<ref name=HBWA>{{cite web |url=http://www.hbw.com/node/58959 |title= Arabian Warbler (''Sylvia leucomelaena'') |authorauthor1=Aymí, R.; |author2=Gargallo, G. |year=2006 |work=Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive |publisher=Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. |accessdateaccess-date=27 November 2015}}</ref> This bird is found in arid savannah country where it is particularly associated with ''[[Acacia]]'' groves.<ref name=iucn/>