The adult male has the head black and the rest of the upper parts ash brown. Chin greyish white; throat, breast, and flanks ash grey; belly white. Bill horn colour. Legs lead colour. The female has the top of the head reddish brown and the young at first resemble her. The males, however, assume their black head in their first autumn, but occasionally the cap shows a decided tinge of rufous. Length 5·75 in.; wing 2·75 in.
This species is fairly common in England and Wales but rarer and more local in Scotland and Ireland.
THE GARDEN WARBLER Sylvia hortensis, Bechstein
In our minds this bird, for some reason which is not very clear, is always associated with the Blackcap. They are almost identical in habits and live in similar situations, but at the same time, although both species may often be found breeding together, the one is generally common in localities where the other is scarce and _vice versa_.
It is rather a late arrival, rarely appearing in numbers before the end of April, and has never been known to winter in these islands.
[Illustration: BLACKCAP _Sylvia atricapilla_ Female (above). Male (below)]
The nest also resembles that of the Blackcap in structure, and though the present species never lays the reddish type of egg common to the Blackcap, its eggs are very similar to the creamy variety of the latter, but the markings are as a rule more blotchy and the clear-cut small spots are far fewer.
"Garden" Warbler is to some extent a misnomer, as it is seldom found in gardens, preferring woods and coppices in the open country, and not visiting the currant bushes anything like so frequently as the Blackcap.
The sexes are alike and are of a uniform olive brown, rather darker on the wings and tail. Under parts buffish white. There is a pale streak over the eye and a greyish area on the lores.
The young are almost indistinguishable from their parents. Length 5·75 in.; wing 3 in.
Except that it is scarcer and more local, its distribution in our islands is similar to that of the Blackcap.
THE BARRED WARBLER Sylvia nisoria, Bechstein
Making its summer home in South Sweden, Denmark, East Germany and Central Europe, our islands lie too far to the west for this species to be known except as a rare straggler. About a dozen examples are known to have occurred in our eastern counties, always in autumn; it has also been taken in Skye and on two occasions in Ireland.