Icterine Warbler

Hippolais icterina (Vieillot, 1817)

2016-08-04 Estern Kazakhstan Ust-Kamenogorsk .Ablaketka.	© Vladimir Shefer

Distribution

Breeding occasionally in middle current of Ural valley (Gubin, Levin, 1982) and on the Kokchetav upland. Recorded also 20 June in middle part of Mugodjary ridge (Kovshar, Davygora, 2004). On migration occurs in Volga-Ural area (Gavrilov et al., 1968), on Mangyshlak (Kovshar, 1995) and at Kipshak and Tengiz lakes in Central Kazakhstan (Khrokov et al., 1977; Andrusenko, 2002). Also found nesting in northern of Kostanay region (Yuriy Malkov, www.birds.kz; Tarasov, Davydov, 2008).

Biology

Very rare breeding migrant. Inhabits old willow-poplar or mixed forest with undergrowth. On migration occurs in bush thickets, groves and single trees in steppe. Arrives in early – mid-May, on Mangyshlak and at Tengiz lake observed in end May. Nest is built in bush (willow, snowball-tree, elder, lilac) or in tree (poplar, oak, birch, aspen, maple, willow, pine) at 1-15 m above ground from bast and dry grass, fastened by cobweb, lined with vegetation fluff and meadow grass panicles. Clutches of 4-6 eggs in June. Both parents incubate for 13-14 days and feed juveniles, which fledge in early July. Autumn migration mostly in August, last birds recorded in early September.

References

Рябицев В. К., Ковшарь А. Ф., Ковшарь В. А., Березовиков Н. Н. «Полевой определитель птиц Казахстана», Алматы, 2014. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005.