Archipelago Wildlife Library

Olive-tree Warbler calls are short “chack” clicks and more quiet chucks ^{(2) (6)}. The song is raucous, composed of repeated verses with harsh, grating “kuchok” and “chak” notes ^{(2) (3)}. The alarm call is a throaty “kerrekekekekek” chatter ⁽²⁾.

The Olive-tree Warbler is a secretive bird that keeps well hidden among foliage and is rarely seen ⁽²⁾. It is noticed by its song, which it sings from a perch under cover ⁽²⁾. Males defend a territory and may raise their crown feathers in display ⁽³⁾. They are solitary birds, living singly or as a pair ⁽⁷⁾. The tail is often dipped up and down, sometimes as often as every two to three seconds, or waved side to side ⁽⁸⁾.

The Olive-tree Warbler breeds in olive or almond groves, orchards, maquis with tall oak trees, and in scrubby clearings of open woodlands ⁽²⁾. At its wintering grounds it inhabits savannas with acacia trees and shrublands ⁽⁹⁾.

Breeding season is from mid May to June. A cup-shaped nest is made out of grasses, rootlets, and bark lined with hair and fine grasses ⁽⁷⁾. Nests are built in dense bushes or in olive or oak trees, at a height of 0.5 to three meters above ground ^{(2) (6)}. There are three to four eggs in one brood, which are incubated for 13 days ^{(6) (7)}.

The Olive-tree Warbler is native to Southeast Europe and Asia minor ⁽⁹⁾. The global extent of occurrence of the Olive-tree Warbler is estimated between 100,000 to one million km² ⁽⁹⁾. In Europe, there is an estimated 21,000 to 45,000 individuals ⁽⁹⁾. In Greece, scattered and isolated populations occur on the mainland and on the islands, with a total estimate of 3000 to 5000 pairs ⁽⁵⁾.

The Olive-tree Warbler is a long distance migratory, wintering in Africa south of the equator, from Kenya to South Africa ⁽²⁾. They are summer visitors in Greece, arriving mainly in the second half of April, and departing in late July to early September ⁽⁵⁾.

Olive-tree Warblers’ diet consists of invertebrates that it finds in the tree canopy and in bushes.  It will also consume figs when they ripen in late summer and berries in the autumn ⁽⁷⁾.  They Egyptian Grasshopper (Anacridium aegyptium) ⁽¹⁰⁾ is a common prey of the Olive-tree Warbler.

During the breeding season the eggs and chicks of Olive-tree Warblers may be predated upon by the Jay (Garrulus glandarius).

IUCN Red List = Least concern ⁽⁴⁾

Description written by Maite Guignard (2009)

(1)   Hume. R. (2002) RSPB Complete Birds of Britain and Europe, Dorling Kindersley, London

(2)   Mullarney. K., Svensson. L., Zetterstrom. D., and Grant. P.J. (1999) Collins Bird Guide, Harper Collins Publishers, London

(3)   Jonsson. L. (1992) Birds of Europe, Christopher Helm Ltd., London

(4)   IUCN (2009) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species [online] Available:

http://www.iucnredlist.org [date accessed: 06/07/2009]

(5)   Handrinos. G., and Akriotis. T. (1997) The Birds of Greece, Christopher Helm Ltd., London

(6)   Perrins. C. (1987) Collins New Generation Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe, Collins, London

(7)   Oiseaux (2006) Hippolais olivetorum [online] Available:

http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/hypolais.des.oliviers.html [date accessed: 06/07/2009]

(8)   Harrop. H.R., Mavor. R., and Ellis. P.M (2008) Olive-tree Warbler in Shetland: new to Britain, British Birds, 101(2): 82–88

(9)   Bird Life International (2008) Species Factsheet: Hippolais olivetorum [online] Available:

http://www.birdlife.org [date accessed: 02/07/2009]

(10)                       Sterry. P. (2000) Complete Mediterranean Wildlife, Harpers Collins Publishers, London