View source for Cetti's warbler

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{speciesbox
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2017 |title=''Cettia cetti'' |volume=2017 |article-number=e.T22714445A111073290 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22714445A111073290.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| image = 37-090505-cettis-warbler-at-Kalloni-east-river.jpg
| image_caption = by the Kalloni east river, [[Lesvos]], [[Greece]].
| image2 = Cetti's warbler song (cettia cetti).wav
| image2_caption = Song
| genus = Cettia
| species = cetti
| authority = ([[Coenraad Jacob Temminck|Temminck]], 1820)
| range_map = Cettia_cetti_distribution_map.png
| range_map_caption = Distribution of Cetti's warbler {{leftlegend|#008000|Breeding resident|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#FFFF00|Breeding summer visitor|outline=gray}} {{leftlegend|#0000FF|Non-breeding winter|outline=gray}}
}}
[[File:Cettia cetti MHNT 232 RdN Oued Lucus Maroc.jpg|thumb|Eggs [[MHNT]]]]

'''Cetti's warbler''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|tʃ|ɛ|t|i}} ('''''Cettia cetti''''') is a small, brown warbler in the family [[Cettiidae]], which breeds in southern and central [[Europe]], northwest [[Africa]] and the east [[Palearctic]] as far as [[Afghanistan]] and northwest [[Pakistan]]. The sexes are alike. The bird is named after the 18th century [[Italy|Italian]] [[zoology|zoologist]], [[Francesco Cetti]]. This species is often difficult to see because of its skulking habits.<ref name = "Seago"/>

==Taxonomy==
Cetti's warbler was [[species description|described]] in 1820 by the Dutch zoologist [[Coenraad Jacob Temminck]] from specimens collected by [[Alberto della Marmora]] in Sardinia. Temminck coined the [[binomial name]] ''Sylvia cetti''.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Temminck | first=Coenraad Jacob | author-link=Coenraad Jacob Temminck | year=1820 | title=Manuel d'ornithologie, ou, Tableau systématique des oiseaux qui se trouvent en Europe | volume=Part 1 | edition=2nd | language=fr | place=Paris | publisher=H. Cousin | pages=194–195 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41001759 }}</ref> The specific epithet was chosen to commemorate the Italian zoologist [[Francesco Cetti]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=97 | url=https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n97 }}</ref> Cetti's warbler is now placed in the [[genus]] ''[[Cettia]]'' that was erected in 1834 by the French ornithologist [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte]] with Cetti's warbler as the [[type species]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Bonaparte | first=Charles Lucien | author-link=Charles Lucien Bonaparte | year=1834 | title=Iconografia della fauna italica per le quattro classi degli animali vertebrati | volume=1 | language=it | publisher=Tip. Salviucci | location=Roma | at=[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/46985828 Fascicle IX text], [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/46985821 Plate 29] | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/46985641 }}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | year=2020 | title=Cupwings, crombecs, bush warblers, Streaked Scrub Warbler, yellow flycatchers, hylias | work=IOC World Bird List Version 10.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/crombecs/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=12 June 2020 }}</ref>

Three subspecies are recognised:<ref name=ioc/>
* ''C. c. cetti'' (Temminck, 1820) – west Europe to Greece and the Balkans, northwest Africa
* ''C. c. orientalis'' [[Henry Baker Tristram|Tristram]], 1867 – Turkey to Iran and Afghanistan
* ''C. c. albiventris'' [[Nikolai Severtzov|Severtsov]], 1873 – Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northwest China and north Afghanistan

==Description==
Cetti's warbler is approximately {{cvt|13|–|14|cm}} from bill to tail.<ref name = "RSPB"/> The male weighs {{convert|15|g|abbr=on}} and the female {{convert|12|g|abbr=on}}.<ref name = "BTOfacts"/> Cetti's warbler has a rounded head with a narrow pale grey stripe arching over conspicuous black eyes, and short, rounded wings. The upperparts are a rich chestnut or dark reddish-brown; the throat and breast are pale grey-brown. The tail is longer and broader than many other warblers.<ref name="Svensson">{{ cite book | last=Svensson | first=Lars | year=1992 | title=Identification Guide to European Passerines | edition=4th | publisher=L. Svensson | place=Stockholm | isbn=978-91-630-1118-4 | page=156 }}</ref><ref name="Duivendijk">{{cite book | last=Duivendijk | first=Nils van | title=Advanced Bird ID Guide | publisher=Bloomsbury Academic | publication-place=London | date=2010 | isbn=978-1-84773-607-9 | page=196}}</ref>
The sexes have similar plumage, but males are 26% to 32% heavier than females with a wing-length 11.2% to 13% longer. The male has a wing longer than 60&nbsp;mm; the female has a wing shorter than 55&nbsp;mm. The birds can be aged by their plumage; juveniles look similar to adults but have fresh plumage and two dark or dark grey spots on the tongue.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Colin J.|first1=Bibby|first2=Derek K. |last2=Thomas|title=Sexual dimorphism in size, moult and movements of Cetti's Warbler ''Cettia cetti'' |journal=Bird Study | year=1984 | volume=31 | issue=1 | pages=28–34 | doi=10.1080/00063658409476811|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Blasco-Zumeta|first1=Javier |first2=Gerd Michael |last2=Herinze|title=Cetti's Warbler|journal=Laboratorio Virtual Ibercaja|pages=1–5}}</ref> Cetti's warbler is unusual among [[passerine]] birds in having ten tail feathers ([[rectrices]]) rather than the usual twelve.<ref name="Svensson"/>

Cetti's warblers signal their presence with loud [[Bird vocalization|song]].<ref name="RSPB"/> Their song is distinct, comes in loud bursts, and has a unique structure that allows the birds to avoid mating with other species.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hamao|first1=Shoji|first2=Maria J. S. |last2=Veluz |first3=Takema |last3=Saitoh |first4=Isao |last4=Nishiumi|title=Phylogenetic relationship and song differences between closely related bush warblers (''Cettia seebohmi'' and ''C. diphone''|journal=The Wilson Journal of Ornithology|date=June 2008|volume=120|issue=2|pages=268–276 |doi=10.1676/07-039.1|s2cid=84436180}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
Cetti's warbler usually inhabits thick shrubby vegetation in damp areas close to (but not in) [[pond]]s, [[lake]]s, [[marsh]]es and [[river]]s.<ref name="Svensson"/>

The number of Cetti's warblers has greatly increased across [[Europe]] since 1990.<ref name = "EBCC"/><ref name="BTO"/> The current population of Cetti's warblers in Europe is estimated to be about {{nowrap|600,000-1,600,000 breeding}} pairs.<ref name = "BirdLife"/> The populations in [[Italy]] and [[Turkey]] are known to be stable or increasing. The exception to the general positive European population trend is in [[Greece]], where the population decreased slightly between 1990 and 2000. However, overall, Cetti's warblers are evaluated as secure.<ref name = "BirdsEurope"/> Cetti's warbler was first recorded in the [[United Kingdom]] in 1961, with the first breeding in 1972–73.<ref name = "BTOfacts"/> Population growth was rapid at first, then fell by over a third between 1984 and 1986 following the [[Winter of 1985–86 in Great Britain and Ireland|severe 1985–86 winter]], but rebounded again rapidly thereafter. UK populations continue to grow; by 2016 there were 3,450 territorial males,<ref name = "BTOfacts"/> distributed throughout most of England and Wales, with the first breeding in Scotland in 2023.<ref>Callion, J, & Raven, C. 2024. The changing status of Cetti's Warblers in Cumbria and northern Britain. ''British Birds'' 117 (5): 271–277. [https://britishbirds.co.uk/node/23047 Abstract].</ref> It was first recorded in [[Ireland]] in 2013, with the first breeding in 2022.<ref>[https://band.us/band/81990195/post/3306 Irish Rare And Scarce Bird News] [members only]</ref>

==Behaviour==
===Breeding===
During the summer, the males spend most of their time establishing their [[Territory (animal)|territories]]. While doing this, they spend little amount of time caring for the [[Egg (biology)#Bird eggs|eggs]] or young. Afterwards, the males usually attract more than one female to their territory.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bird Guides-Cetti's Warbler|url=http://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=136021|access-date=31 Oct 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080412235034/http://www.birdguides.com/species/species.asp?sp=136021|archive-date=2008-04-12}}</ref> Their song plays an important role.

In Europe the main period for egg laying is from the middle to the end of June. The nest is placed in thick dense vegetation usually at around {{cvt|30|to|45|cm}} above the ground. 
The untidy cup shaped nest is made from leaves and stems and is lined with feathers, hair and other finer material. It is built entirely by the female. The eggs are laid in the early morning at daily intervals and are chestnut red in colour. The clutch consists of 4 to 5 eggs which measure approximately {{cvt|18.0|x|13.9|mm}}. The eggs are incubated by the female beginning when the clutch is complete and hatch after 16 to 17 days. The young are mainly fed and brooded by the female. They fledge after 14 to 16 days but continue to be fed by the parents for at least another 15 days. The young become independent by 30 days. In Europe Cetti's warblers normally have two broods each year. They first breed when one year of age.{{sfn|Cramp|1992|p=17}}

===Feeding===
Cetti's warbler is [[insectivore|insectivorous]], preying on [[arthropod]]s such as small, soft-bodied [[insect]]s and [[larva]]e. Cetti's warblers prefer tiny insects because they can digest them faster.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Molina |first1=Javier |first2 = José A. |last2 = Hodar |first3=Ismael |last3=Camacho|title=Diet of Cetti's warblers ''Cettia cetti'' (Temmink, 1820) in a locality of southern Spain|journal=Ardeolo|year=1998|volume=45|issue=2|pages=217–220|url=http://www.ardeola.org/files/389.pdf}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist |refs =
<ref name = "BirdLife">{{cite web|title=Species: Cetti's Warbler|url=http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=7554 | publisher = BirdLife International |access-date=1 Nov 2012}}</ref>
<ref name = "BirdsEurope">{{cite web |title=''Cettia cetti'' – Cetti's Warbler |url=http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/userfiles/file/Species/BirdsInEuropeII/BiE2004Sp7554.pdf | publisher = BirdLife International |access-date=2 Nov 2012}}</ref>
<ref name = "BTO">{{cite journal |last1=Robinson |first1=Robert A. |first2=Stephen N. |last2=Freemen |first3=Dawn E. |last3=Balmer |first4 = Mark J. |last4=Grantham |title=Cetti's Warbler ''Cettia cetti'': analysis of an expanding population |journal=BTO |year=2007 |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=230–235 |doi=10.1080/00063650709461479|doi-access=free }}</ref>
<ref name = "BTOfacts">{{cite web | title=Cetti's Warbler | website=BTO | url=https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/cettis-warbler | access-date=2025-07-26}}</ref>
<ref name = "EBCC">{{cite web |title=Trends of common birds in Europe, 2010 update |url=http://www.ebcc.info/index.php?ID=387 | publisher = European Bird Census Council |access-date=1 Nov 2012}}</ref>
<ref name = "RSPB">{{cite web|title=The RSPB: Cetti's Warbler|date=1 Nov 2012|url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/cettiswarbler/index.aspx}}</ref>
<ref name = "Seago">{{cite web|last=Seago|first=Michael J|title=Cetti's Warbler|date=31 Oct 2012|url=http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/cettis-warbler.asp|access-date=28 November 2012|archive-date=8 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508150047/http://birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/cettis-warbler.asp}}</ref>
}}

==Sources==
*{{ cite book | editor1-last=Cramp | editor1-first=Stanley | editor1-link=Stanley Cramp | year=1992 | chapter=''Cetia cetti'' Cetti's Warbler | title=Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palearctic | volume=VI: Warblers | place=Oxford | publisher=Oxford University Press | pages=7–19 | isbn=978-0-19-857509-2 }}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Cettia-cetti Xeno-canto: audio recordings of Cetti's warbler]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20141202065155/http://aulaenred.ibercaja.es/wp-content/uploads/349_CettisWarblerCcetti.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF; 2.9 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze]
*[http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/photos/bouscarle.de.cetti.html Oiseaux] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Cettiidae}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q650114}}

[[Category:Cettia|Cetti's warbler]]
[[Category:Birds of Europe]]
[[Category:Birds of Central Asia]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1820|Cetti's warbler]]