A male blackcap

Latin Name : Sylvia Atricapilla

Resident or visitor : Mainly a Summer visitor, but many more (upwards of 3000) are now spending the winter in the UK, coming over from Germany and NW Europe.

Size : 13cm

Appearance : A warbler, with mainly grey plumage, and a black cap (male) or a brown cap (female)

Call : Like the blackbird, an elegant tunesmith. The call is a ‘tack’ or ‘churr’ noise.

Diet : Summer : beetles, caterpillars, flies; Autumn/winter : berries. In the garden it will happily peck away at fat balls, and occasionally munch sunflower hearts.

Nesting habitat : Woodland – brambles/dense vegetation. Nests from April onwards. Male builds several basic nests to attract females, who then move in and make improvements.

Offspring : Both adults incubate 4/5 eggs for 2 weeks, and both feed the young who fledge after 10-12 days. Occasionally a second brood, but usually only in the southern half of the UK.

General information and observations : Blackcaps have been curiously absent from Snape Wood for some time, so it was with great pleasure we could report a sighting on Friday 20th February 2009. Let us hope this is the start of their revival in the reserve.

Please add your sightings and observations below !

One Response to “Blackcap”

1. clayts says:

   March 24, 2009 at 3:20 am

   Last sighting – male Tuesday 24th March 2009, Salmon Close edge of reserve