The grey-capped warbler (Eminia lepida) is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is monotypic (only species) in the genus Eminia. The grey-capped warbler is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. It is a large, chunky, thin-tailed-warbler with a distinctive grey cap, a black band around its head, and a chestnut throat wrapping its neck. Grey-capped warblers maintain a diet of insects and other invertebrates, including caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, and mantids.
Identification
The grey-capped warbler is roughly 15 cm in length, and weighs 16–24 grams. It is typically chunky and thin-tailed with a distinctive grey cap, a black band around the head, and a chestnut throat with rump feathers that are long and lax. Its cheek, neck, and underparts are grey and it is tinged olive-green on the flanks and under tail-coverts. Grey-capped warblers have a chestnut vent patch and upperparts. The tail and the median and greater upper wing-coverts are olive-green. The lesser coverts and underwing-coverts are chestnut. Flight-feathers are dark brown (edged olive-green). The irises are reddish-brown, the bill and mouth are black, and the legs are pinkish-brown. Identification for sexes is similar. Younger grey-capped warblers are duller than adults and have a smaller, paler throat patch and brown eyes. Recently fledged warblers have a prominent yellow gape and shorter tail.
Habitat
The natural habitat of the grey-capped warbler is subtropical or moist tropical shrubland. It is found in dense undergrowth, scrub, and creepers, usually in damp areas along forest edges, seeps, or riparian strips, as well as around well-planted gardens. It is confined to areas with annual rainfall exceeding 500 mm. It usually dwells in areas at altitudes from 800 m to 2,500 m in Kenya. It is regarded as a sedentary bird.
Diet and Foraging
Its diet includes insects and other invertebrates, including caterpillars and moths (Lepidoptera), grasshoppers (Orthoptera), mantids (Mantodea), spiders (Araneae), and millipedes (Diplopoda). It forages by gleaning from foliage and bark, actively searching among dead, curled-up leaves, crevices in bark, and holes in twigs. It is secretive and lurks among dense vegetation, and may easily be overlooked if not singing. It is joined by a large variety of frugivorous and insectivorous species attracted to stands of fruiting Euclea divinorum trees in Tanzania.
Sounds and Vocal Behavior
Male songs usually come from an exposed perch, mainly during the breeding season, making a loud, varied series of trills and whistles, lasting 6–20 seconds, typically containing several repeated elements uttered every 30 seconds. The female utters a dry trill with up to 7 notes per second, usually during the male song in a duet. The male also utters trilling calls, alarms with a soft “pree”, or louder scolding calls when agitated.