AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

194. Cettia cettii

194. CETTI’S WARBLER.
CETTIA CETTII.
Cettia cettii (Marm.) Mem. Acad. Tor. xxx. p. 254 (1820) ; (Gould), B. of E. ii. pls, 114, 115 ; (Dresser), ii. p. 639, pl. 95 ; Seebohm, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. v. p. 135 ; Pleske Orn. Ross, ii. p. 634.
Bec-fin Bouscarle, French ; Mascareta, Buscale, Span. ; Rossign-uolo di padule, Ital.
Male ad. (Spain). Upper parts chestnut-brown, wings and tail blackish brown ; supercilary stripe dull white ; sides of neck greyish brown ; under parts white, breast washed with grey, flanks, crissum, and under tail coverts brownish grey ; bill dark brown ; legs light brown ; iris nut-brown. Culmen 0.55, wing 2.35, tail 2.55, tarsus 0.9 inch, first primary 0.63, shorter than second, which is 0.35 less than the third, 4th, 5th, and 6th about equal and longest ; tail of ten feathers only, and much graduated ; sexes alike. The young bird differs only in having the plumage laxer in texture.
Hab. Southern Europe and north Africa from Portugal to Asia Minor, Palestine, Transcaspia, and Turkestan, east to the Central Asiatic desert region.
Unobtrusive and shy in its habits Cetti’s Warbler is a difficult bird to watch. It frequents damp bush-covered localities, over-grown ditches, and also dry places in close proximity to water. Its song is clear and loud but short, and is like the first part of a Nightingale’s song suddenly cut short, and it sings both by day and at night. Its nest is placed in a bush two or three feet from the ground, is deep, cup-shaped, constructed of small sedge-pieces, marsh-cotton and shreds of plants, and lined with fine grass, a few hairs and bits of cotton, and the eggs, 4 or 5 in number, are deposited in May, and are uniform bright brick red, sometimes with a pinkish tinge and average about 0.75 by 0.55 in size.
Mr. Oates considers the form which occurs in India to be specifically separable from our bird, in being larger and having the upper parts paler, but I do not agree with this view.

BookTitle: 
A Manual Of Palaearctic Birds
Reference: 
Dresser, Henry Eeles. A Manual of Palaearctic Birds. Vol. 1. 1902.
Title in Book: 
194. Cettia cettii
Book Author: 
H. E. Dresser
CatNo: 
194
Year: 
1902
Page No: 
137
Common name: 
Cetti’s Warbler
M_ID: 
22815
M_CN: 
Cetti's Warbler
M_SN: 
Cettia cetti
Volume: 
Vol. 1
Term name: 
id: 
10129

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