NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Sardinian Warbler
Curruca melanocephala (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Sardinian warbler (Curruca melanocephala) is a common and widespread Sylviidae warbler from the Mediterranean region. Like most Curruca species, it has distinct male and female plumages. The adult male has a grey back, whitish underparts, black head, white throat and red eyes. Plumages are somewhat variable even in the same locality, with the intensity of a reddish hue on upper- and/or underside that varies from absent to (in some subspecies) pronounced. The female is mainly brown above and buff below, with a grey head. The Sardinian warbler's song is fast and rattling, and is very characteristic of the Mediterranean areas where this bird breeds.
Wikipedia contributors, Sardinian warbler; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:36:17.784655+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Curruca melanocephala (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Common name
- Sardinian Warbler
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sylviidae
- Genus
- Curruca
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familySylviidae Leach, 1820
- genusCurruca Bechstein, 1802
- speciesCurruca melanocephala (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Curruca. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Barred WarblerCurruca nisoria (Bechstein, 1792) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Banded ParisomaCurruca boehmi (Reichenow, 1882) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chestnut-vented WarblerCurruca subcoerulea (Vieillot, 1817) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lesser WhitethroatCurruca curruca (Linnaeus, 1758) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown ParisomaCurruca lugens (Rüppell, 1840) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yemen WarblerCurruca buryi (Ogilvie-Grant, 1913) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Asian Desert WarblerCurruca nana Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833 | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tristram's WarblerCurruca deserticola (Tristram, 1859) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Menetries's WarblerCurruca mystacea (Ménétriés, 1832) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Moltoni's WarblerCurruca subalpina (Temminck, 1820) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western Subalpine WarblerCurruca iberiae (Svensson, 2013) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common WhitethroatCurruca communis (Latham, 1787) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Sylvia melanocephala (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | synonym |
| Motacilla melanocephala J. F. Gmelin, 1789 J. F. Gmelin, 1789 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1257343 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:DDBNH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.