Warblers are a large family of small songbirds found across Europe, Asia and Africa. Most warbler species migrate long distances, but the Cyprus warbler is special because it mostly stays on the island all year round. It is one of the few birds named directly after Cyprus, making it a true feathered symbol of the island.
The Cyprus warbler likes dry, scrubby habitats — the kind of landscape covered in low aromatic bushes like sage, rosemary, and prickly cistus. This habitat, called maquis or 'garrigue', covers much of the hilly countryside of Cyprus. The bird nests close to the ground in dense bushes where it is hidden from predators.
Males are particularly easy to spot in spring, when they climb to the top of a bush and sing loudly to defend their territory and attract a mate. The song is fast and scratchy, full of chattering notes. If you walk quietly along a country path in Cyprus, you are very likely to hear one before you see it — a burst of sound from somewhere inside a prickly bush.