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Blackcap

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                    iBlackcap

                             Conservation status

   Least Concern (LC)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Passeriformes
   Family:  Sylviidae
   Genus:   Sylvia
   Species: S. atricapilla

                                Binomial name

   Sylvia atricapilla
   (Linnaeus, 1758)

   The Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla, is a common and widespread Old World
   warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe.

   This small passerine bird is migratory, and northern and central
   European breeders winter in southern Europe and north Africa where the
   local populations are resident. It is hardier than most warblers,
   partly because it will readily eat small berries as well as the more
   typical warbler insect diet. An interesting development in recent years
   is for substantial numbers of central European birds to winter in
   gardens in southern England. Presumably the ready availability of food,
   particularly from bird tables, and the avoidance of migration over the
   Alps, compensate for the sub-optimal climate. Bearhop et al. (2005)
   have recently reported that the birds wintering in England tend to mate
   only with each other, because they arrive back from the wintering
   grounds earlier than those wintering in the Mediterranean. The authors
   suggest that the division of the population into different migration
   routes may be the first step in the evolution of distinct species.

   This is a bird of shady woodlands with ground cover for nesting. The
   nest is built in low shrub, and 3-6 eggs are laid.

   This is a robust warbler, mainly grey in plumage. Although most
   warblers have the sexes identical, several Sylvia species have distinct
   male and female plumages. The Blackcap is an example: the male has the
   small black cap from which the species gets its name, whereas in the
   female the cap is light brown.

   The song is a pleasant chattering with some clearer notes like a
   Blackbird. The song can be confused with that of the Garden Warbler.

   A separate race of the Blackcap, heineken, occurs on the Macaronesian
   islands.

   male

       female
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackcap"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
