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Rüppell's Warbler

Curruca ruppeli
Sylviidae Low risk

Rüppell's warbler (Curruca ruppeli) is a passerine bird of the genus Curruca. It breeds in Greece, Turkey and neighbouring islands. It is migratory, wintering in northeast Africa. This is a rare vagrant to western Europe. The name is occasionally cited as "Rueppell's warbler".

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In Türkiye

Seasonal status
Summer visitor

Arrives in spring and leaves in autumn; winter records are almost absent.

Most records in March–May.

Where it stands out
AntalyaMuğlaIspartaMersinOsmaniye

Provinces where it makes up the largest share of bird records.

Records by month

Adjusted for how many birdwatchers are out each month; the busiest month = 100%.

2,563 records from Türkiye · #233 of 634 species by number of records. Source: GBIF.org (October 2026). All birds of Türkiye

About

Together with the Cyprus warbler it forms a superspecies with dark throats, white malar streaks and light remigial fringes. This in turn is related to the species of Mediterranean and Middle East Sylvia warblers that have a naked eye-ring, namely the eastern subalpine warbler, Sardinian warbler and Ménétries's warbler. Both groups have a white malar area, but this may not form a clear streak in the latter group; above the white, the heads of males are uniformly dark.

The English name and the specific ruppeli commemorate the German zoologist and explorer Eduard Rüppell (1794–1884).

This is a monotypic species, meaning there are no recognised subspecies.

It is a typical Curruca warbler, similar in size but slimmer than the Sardinian warbler. The adults have a plain grey back and paler grey underparts. The bill is fine and pointed, with brown legs and red eyes.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

At a glance

Family
Sylviidae
Group
Perching Birds
Conservation status
Low risk

Similar birds

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