Listen:
Gallery:
Key information: A small, grey-brown bird with a characteristic black cap (or red-brown cap for females and juveniles). Blackcaps pass through Cyprus during migration. Some like to stay during the winter. Because of its lovely, fluting song, the Blackcap is also known as the ‘northern Nightingale’. It sings in winter, often in urban parks, villages and orchards. Unfortunately, this bird is targeted by illegal bird trappers who trap Blackcaps and other small birds using nets and limesticks.
Length: 13,5 – 15 cm
Habitat: Farmland, scrub and bushes, towns and villages
When they can be seen: Autumn, winter, spring
What they eat: Invertebrates, fruits
In Cyprus: Can be seen all over the island, especially Cape Greco during migration
Status: Passage migrant, winter visitor
Illustration by Paschalis Dougalis