Bird of the week - Willow warbler

Willow warblers have been around for a few weeks now and are still singing well.  These were at Prestwick Carr this morning.

Willow warblers are very unusual in that they moult twice a year, once here and once in their winter home in Africa.

The willow warbler population is in decline and it is on the amber list in the UK.

It seems to doing better in the north and west of the British Isles.

This map from the Bird Atlas shows the population change between 1988-1991 and 2008-2011, black being a decline and red an increase.

The willow warbler is Phylloscopus trochilus which translates from Greek as leaf-watching wren.  It was known to Thomas Bewick as a willow wren.

Read more about willow warblers here.  Listen to the BBC Radio 4 Tweet of the Day here.