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יפלכ רקדזמ בורלו גרודמה ,ךוראה ובנזב רכינ ,ץראב תוריעזה םירופיצה תחא :שושפ | ||||||||||
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Subspecies and Distribution.
P. g. gracilis Nile valley from Cairo S to N Sudan. P. g. akyildizi Turkey possibly Syria. P. g. palaestinae E Sinai, E Israel, Lebanon, S Syria, Jordan, and N-W Arabia. P. g. deltae Nile delta E to W Israel. P. g. natronensis Wadi el Natrun (N Egypt). P. g. carlo W-S coast of Red Sea from Gebel Elba to N-W Somalia. P. g. yemenensis Saudi Arabia and Yemen. P. g. hufufae Saudi Arabia and Bahrain P. g. carpenteri Oman. P. g. irakensis N-E Syria, Iraq, and S-W Iran. P. g. lepida Iran, S Afganistan, Pakistan to N-W India. P. g. stevensi nepal, India and Banglades. | ||||||||||
Descriptive notes.10 c, 6.5-7.5 g, wingspan 12-13 cm. Small, ahort-wingde, strikingly attenuated warbler, brown streaked blackish above and dull white below. Long graduated tailed with black and white feather-tips, often drooped or cocked.Sexes similar, no seasonal variation. HabitatIn Mediterranean, dry subtropical, and tropical zones of lower middle latitudes in south-east sector of west Palearctic. Occurs in lowlands and uplands. Accordingly intermediate in habitat betwiin arid and moist vegetation, with tendency to favour moist and to be a ground bird mainly where there is ample plant cover.Avoids both desert and tall dense woodland. Flies only in lower airspace. Food and FeedingChiefly insects, taken from foliage or on ground. Hops about energetically and will make long leap if necessary to pounce on prey. Occasionally catches an insect in flight or hovers to pick caterpillar off leaf. In Israel, regularly hangs upside down to feed from foliage. Adults usually remove legs and wings from grasshoppers before feeding them to nestlings.Breeding.Mar-Jul in Egypt, Mar-Jun in Israel, Mar-Jun in Iraq, throughout the year in Oman. Nest site, in grassor other low vegetation, bush, or occasionally creepers, sometimes in crop but more often along overgrown ditch, at edge of fields or in tamarisk thicket. Nest untidy domed oval of dry grass mixed with vegetable down, leaves, bark fibre, rootlets, and occasionally string, spider-web, etc, lined with softer, downy material, often from Compositae seeds.3-5 eggs, sub-elliptical, smooth and glossy, very variable in color and markings. In Israel whitish to very pale pink,blotched and speckled reddish brown particularly at broad end. Incubation 11-13 days by both sexes, female at night. Movements.Sedentary. Extent of post-breeding dispersal and response to habitat destruction unknown.Status and ConservationNot globally threatened. Has spread south to Aswan, apparently spreading along Lake Nasser.Israel.In Israel subspecies P. g. deltae abundant resident in Negev, central and northern parts of th country, and P. g. palaestinae common resident along Jordan River Valley, Shomron and Judean Deserts, along Arava Valley and S and E Negev to Eilat. |
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