Table Of Content£
First record of Ruppell’s Warbler
Sylvia rueppelli
for The Gambia
Mike D. Crewe", Megan A. Crewe" and Tombong Sanyan
Premiere mention de la Fauvette de Riippell Sylvia rueppelli pour la Gambie. Le 22 novembre
2006, une Fauvette de Riippell Sylvia rueppelli, probablement une femelle adulte, a ete observee
siu la rive noid du fleuve Gambie, dans une brousse aAcacia pres de la zone humide de Baobolon
N
(13 38 15 04 W). Les caracteres distinctifs sont discutes par rapport aux autres especes du
genre Sylvia; cet oiseau est probablement un egare. Ceci constitue la premiere donnee documen-
ted pour la Gambie.
O
n 22 November 2006, during a boat trip Description
from Tendaba Camp, The Gambia, into Overall impression was ofa medium-sized Sylvia,
Baobolon wetland, an area ofmangrove creeks on smaller than Common Whitethroat S. communis
the north side of the Gambia River (13°28’N but larger than Subalpine Warbler and structural-
MDC
15°04’W), heard a European WryneckJynx ly more like the latter, though perhaps marginally
torquilla in adjacent dryAcacia scrub. After disem- more ‘chunky’. Upperparts plain ash-grey, more or
MDC
barking to try and locate it, noticed at least less uniform from forehead and cheeks to mantle
four Subalpine Warblers Sylvia cantillans and and rump. Throat pure white, cleanly demarcated
another passerine which he was unable to immedi- from grey cheeks; breast white, becoming grey-
ately identify. It was grey with a contrasting dark washed on belly and flanks. Tail blackish with
tail and dark tertials, the latter with well-defined white in outer tail-feathers; wing-feathers greyish
pale fringes. TS’s first impression was of a Grey to dark grey, darkest on tertials and alula, with all
Tit-Flycatcher Myioparus plumbeus. However, the feathers having clearly defined pale creamy white
bird was clearly a warbler, being too compact and fringes, particularly well marked on the tertials.
short-tailed for a flycatcher, and had a horizontal Legs rather bright pinkish brown; irides apparent-
feeding posture. It also foraged actively in the ly brown (rather than dark/blackish) with fairly
branches, rather than adopting the hyperactive fly- clear straw to pale brown eye-ring. Bill dark grey
catching movements of Grey Tit-Flycatcher (with with pale base to lower mandible, rather heavier
MDC
which and TS both had previous experi- than typical Subalpine Warbler.
MDC
ence). concluded that it was probably a
Rtippell’s Warbler Sylvia rueppelli a species with Discussion
,
which he was familiar from the eastern The overall grey appearance with clean white
Mediterranean. When MAC, who had an iPod throat and dark, pale-based bill with a subtly
with calls of European birds, played the song and decurved look, coupled with rather furtive feeding
call of Rtippell’s Warbler, the bird, which we had action in comparatively dense vegetation indicate
temporarily lost, swiftly returned to an Acacia in a Sylvia warbler. The complete lack of any black
front of us. Twice the bird disappeared but was on the head, coupled with a lack ofbrown or buff
lured back into view using playback; in contrast, in the mantle or wings made it very unlikely that
there was no response from nearby Subalpine it was a male and suggested an adult female
Warblers, and playback of Subalpine Warbler Ruppelfs Warbler. On return to the UK, a search
vocalisations evinced no response from the bird, of references revealed that the bird matched an
strongly suggesting that the bird was indeed a individual seen at Holme, Norfolk, UK, in August
RiippeH’s Warbler, a species not previously record- 1992 (Hibberd 1992), identified as an adult
ed in The Gambia (Barlow et al. 1997, Borrow & female based on wing and tail features (Lewington
Demey 2001). The following description is taken 1992). Descriptions in Shirihai et al. (1996) and
from notes made shortly after and before consult- Shirihai et al. (2001) further support the identifi-
ing any relevant literature.
First recordofRiippell’s Warblerfor The Gambia: Crewe etal. BullABC Vol 15No 1 (2008)-91
cation of the Gambia bird as an adult female this is frequently observed in the eastern
(MDC
Ruppell’s Warbler. Mediterranean, e.g. in Israel and Cyprus
Sylvia warblers are rather easily distinguished pers. obs.). Interestingly, of the four British
from other warbler genera, but can be tricky to records, three are from the post-breeding migra-
separate from one another in some female-type tion period, in August/September 1997, June
plumages. Common Whitethroat, Tristram’s S. 1979, October 1990 and August/September 1992
deserticola Spectacled S. conspicillata and (Rogers 1993).
,
Subalpine Warblers can be eliminated as they have
brown on the back/wings or a buff/pink wash to Acknowledgements
the underparts. Garden S. borin and Barred We thank Nik Borrow, Ron Demey and Guy Kirwan
Warblers S. nisoria and Blackcap S. atricapilla are lor their comments on a first draft ofthis article.
easily eliminated by their plain face pattern with-
out strong contrast between a pure white throat References
&
and grey cheeks. Lesser Whitethroat S. curruca has Ayrm, R. Gargallo, G. 2006. Genus Sylvia. In del
&
grey (not bright pinkish-brown) legs; Orphean Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. Christie, D. A. (eds.)
Warbler S. hortensis has a heavier bill and lacks Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 11.
Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.
pale fringes to the flight feathers (in particular the
obvious, well-defined pale edges to the contrast- Barlow, C., Wacher,T. & Disley, T. 1997. A FieldGuide
ingly dark-centred tertials of the Gambian bird), to Birds ofThe Gambia andSenegal. Robertsbridge:
Pica Press.
whilst Sardinian Warbler S. melanocepbala exhibits &
Borrow, N. Demey, R. 2001. Birds ofWestern Africa.
a range of features depending on age and sex, in
London, UK: Christopher Helm.
particular a buffish-cream to reddish eye-ring, lack
Cramp, S. (ed.) 1992. The Birds of the Western
ofan obviously dark tail and strong dusky grey or
Palearctic. Vol. 6. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
brownish wash to the flanks.
Hibberd, G. 1992. The Rtippell's Warbler in Norfolk.
Birding World 5: 336-339.
Vagrancy and possible origins
Lewington, I. 1992. Ageing and sexing of RiippeH’s
RiippeH’s Warbler has a rather restricted world Warbler. Birding World 5: 339-340.
range, breeding in the eastern Mediterranean from Rogers, M. & the Rarities Committee (ed.) 1993.
J.
the southern Balkans east to south-central Turkey Report on rare birds in Great Britain in 1992. Br.
and the northern Levant, and wintering mainly in Birds 86: 447-540.
Chad and Sudan (Cramp 1992, Shirihai et al. Shirihai, H., Christie, D. & Harris, A. 1996. The
&
2001, Ayrm Gargallo 2006). It has a circular Macmillan Birder's Guide to European and Middle
migration route, moving south or even south-west Eastern Birds. London, UK: Macmillan.
&
in autumn, but returning via a more easterly route Shirihai, H., Gargallo, G., Helbig, A. Harris, A.
J.,
through the Middle East in spring. Vagrancy Cottridge, D. 2001. Sylvia Warblers: Identification,
potential is proven with extralimital records in at Taxonomy and Phylogeny of the Genus Sylvia.
least nine European countries, including the London, UK: Christopher Helm.
&
Faeroes and UK. In West Africa, the species has Urban, E. K., Fry, C. H. Keith, S. (eds.) 1997. The
been reported exceptionally from Niger and Mali Birds ofAfrica. Vol. 5. London, UK: Academic
(Urban etal. 1997), making a record as far west as Press.
The Gambia not so unlikely. Alternatively, with “29 St Austins Grove, Sheringham, Norfolk, NR26 8DF,
proven vagrancy to Western Europe in autumn, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
such a bird may then move south or south-west, hE-mail: [email protected]
perhaps with Subalpine Warblers, to winter in The
Gambia. Ayrm & Gargallo (2006) mention that Received 18 February 2007; revision accepted 9 May
2007.
during migration RuppeH’s Warbler has been
recorded in loose association with other Sylvia
;
92-BullABC Vol 15No 1 (2008) First recordofRtippell's Warblerfor The Gambia: Crewe etal.
