Old World Warblers (Sylviidae)

Cyprus Warbler (Sylvia melanothorax) - HBW 11, p. 706

French: Fauvette de Chypre German: Schuppengrasmücke Spanish: Curruca Chipriota

Taxonomy: Sylvia melanothorax Tristram, 1872, En Gedi, Dead Sea, Israel.
Sometimes considered to form a superspecies with either S. melanocephala or S. rueppelli, but differs markedly from those species both phenotypically and genetically; also, recent findings indicate sympatry with former in parts of W Cyprus. Furthermore, new genetic data indicate that it may be more closely related to S. mystacea and S. cantillans than to S. melanocephala. All aforementioned species, as well as present one, belong to a group that also contains S. undata, S. sarda, S. balearica, S. deserticola and S. consp.. View all taxonomy...

Distribution: Breeds Cyprus; non-breeding along narrow strip of Red Sea coast from NE Egypt (E of Suez, coastal Sinai) E to Arava depression and NW Saudi Arabia, and S to NE Sudan.