While ringing on Friday 12 January 2018
we trapped and ringed a Moustached Warbler, this is the fifth bird we have
ringed at this site with the first being on 7 February 2014. This is the third
January bird trapped with the others in November and February. The bird showed
an appearance similar to the eastern subspecies A. m. mimica that occurs
from eastern Turkey, Iraq, Transcaucasia, and the lower Volga east to
Kazakhstan and northwest India. Records of Moustached Warbler are now quite
widespread from the Eastern Province, with the first record at Sabkhat al Fasl
seen in 1990 but there have been no breeding records from the site. We have not
seen or trapped birds in the spring, summer or autumn at the site, and there is
evidence of an influx of birds in winter to the area, suggesting they are a
winter visitor to the site. Away from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia,
they are mainly a scarce migrant and winter visitor mainly in the north of the
country. The Moustached Warbler has been recorded as a local breeder in the
Central region and Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia with the first breeding
site in Saudi Arabia located at Hufuf in the Eastern Province where birds are
regularly recorded at Al Asfar Lake.
Measurements of birds (n5) are as below:
Tarsus 19.7
– 20.8
Wing 55.0
– 64.0
Weight 9.2
– 11.2
Tail 49.0
– 55.0
Bill / Skull 15.3 – 16.3
Bill depth 2.6 – 3.1
Fat 0.0
– 2.0
Muscle 2.0
– 2.0
