Parque Nacional Garajonay

Spectacled Warbler (Sylvia conspicillata orbitalis)

Other names: Balero, tarraz, chirrera. A small bird of some 13 cms. in length.  The female is less striking than the male. It lives in thick patches of thyme, rosemary, kermes oak and thickets on  scrubland. It feeds on insects, spiders, molluscs and seeds.  It lays its eggs in April to June. Its nest is made among the shrubs, only a short distance from the ground. It lays four or five eggs and care is taken by both parents. When the chicks are threatened by an intruder, the father pretends to be wounded, dragging himself along the ground and letting out some pitiful sounds. This attitude disorients the intruder as it makes it believe that it will be able to drag off the bird which is staggering without difficulty and goes after it. It is a protected series and is also a subspecies  endemic to Macaronesia.

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