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Kopje Warbler Euryptila subcinnamomea Scientific name definitions

Peter Ryan
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2006

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

14 cm; 10–13 g. A dark brown warbler with relatively long, only slightly graduated tail. Has forecrown and rump chestnut; remainder of upperparts warm brown; face grey-brown, chestnut wash on ear-coverts; tail blackish-brown, chestnut bases of outer feathers; flight-feathers dark brown with paler margins, brown on secondaries, chestnut on primaries; throat and breast grey with blackish feather bases (bases sometimes exposed), some indistinct chestnut barring on lower breast; upper belly and undertail-coverts chestnut, remainder of belly dark grey, flanks and thighs washed cinnamon-brown; iris olive-grey; bill blackish; legs dark horn-grey. Sexes alike. Juvenile is more rufous above, with paler band on belly.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Paler birds in the more arid N of range described as race petrophila; but variation in colour largely clinal. Monotypic.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Euryptila subcinnamomea petrophila Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Namibia and extreme nw Cape Province
SUBSPECIES

Euryptila subcinnamomea subcinnamomea Scientific name definitions

Distribution

South Africa (Cape Province)

Distribution

Semi-arid rocky areas of S Namibia and W South Africa.

Habitat

Confined to Namib-Karoo biome; occurs on rocky hill slopes, boulders and outcrops with scattered shrubs in semi-arid areas. Favours granite and gneiss rocks, but occurs also on sedimentary outcrops.

Movement

Mainly resident; some local dispersal results in occupation of novel habitats (e.g. quarries) along edge of range. Records from Naukluft Mts, in Namibia, may involve vagrants.

Diet and Foraging

Mainly insects and other invertebrates, including grasshoppers (Orthoptera), termites (Isoptera), ants (Hymenoptera), weevils (Coleoptera), caterpillars (Lepidoptera), bugs (Hemiptera), spiders (Araneae) and snails (Gastropoda). Usually singly, but occasionally in pairs or family groups. Forages mainly on ground, creeping among bushes and rocks, often disappearing into a crevice and then reappearing some distance away. Often flicks tail downwards or sideways while walking.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song, from elevated perch usually on large boulder, occasionally from shrub or aloe, a plaintive, ascending “tsweeeee” lasting up to 2 seconds; change in pitch within each note varies considerably; song notes sometimes interspersed by one or more short, rather harsh “tswit” notes. Both sexes call; differences between sexes not resolved.

Breeding

Breeds Jul–Dec, mainly Aug–Oct. Probably monogamous; solitary, territorial. Nest a thick-walled oval with side entrance at top, made from grasses and Serruria leaves, decorated with spider web and lined with plant down and wool, well concealed in low shrub, aloe or restio within 1 m of ground (occasionally almost on ground). Clutch 2–4 eggs (average 2·7); adults continue to add nest lining during incubation; no information on incubation and nestling periods.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Locally fairly common, but patchily distributed; absent from much seemingly suitable habitat. Frequent playback of song at a popular birding site has reduced responsiveness of this species, but apparently has not affected its population size.
Distribution of the Kopje Warbler - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Kopje Warbler

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Ryan, P. (2020). Kopje Warbler (Euryptila subcinnamomea), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.kopwar1.01
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