BTO BirdFacts | Blackcap

Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla [Linnaeus, 1758]

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Page updated:16-January-2013

	Order: Passeriformes	Family: Sylviidae
	BTO Codes: BC, BLACA	EURING No: 12770
	Number in Britain: 916 thousand territories (Summer)
	Conservation Status:
	UK: GREEN
	European: Not a species of concern
	Global: (Details)
Links to: Images Videos Sound
Tips on Identification

Status in UK: (A) Migrant Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies: atricapilla recorded in Britain (of 5 subsp. in the world)
.
Length: 13 cm	Wingspan: 22 cm	Weight: M/F: 21 g

Scientific name from:	L.: silva=a wood and L.: ater=black + capillus=capped
World Distribution:	BREEDS: Europe, w Asia, WINTERS: south to tropical Africa

Habitat:	Forest, open woodland, towns
Diet:	Summer, insects, otherwise fruit mainly in scrub, will come to bird-tables in winter
TitBit:	Once regarded as a summer visitor, Blackcaps can now be seen all year round, particularly in the south, but the winter birds are thought to be mostly visitors from central Europe rather than British breeders who have stayed on.

Population and Distribution

	Population Trend:	BirdTrends
	Regional Trends:	Scotland Wales England English Regions
	Distribution:	Atlas Maps BBS Maps
	Abundance Maps:	Population Density Change in Density Guide to Interpretation

British Population Size:

Summer: 916 thousand territories in 2000 Baker, H. et al. (2006) British Birds 99:25-44

First Record: Recorded in Medieval times Bircham, P. 2007. A history of ornithology, Collins. [805 BIR]

[Fossil evidence from Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]

Conservation Status: GREEN Eaton, M.A. et al. 2009. British Birds 102:296-341

Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 GREEN Gregory, R.D. et al. 2002. British Birds 95:410-448

1996-2001 GREEN Gibbons, D.W. et al. 1996. RSPB Conservation Review 10:7-18

Races of Concern: atricapilla GREEN

Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):

Most frequent in: Deciduous Wood

Also common in: Scrub

And found in: Villages

Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:

Migration routes: Map of foreign ringing recoveries and summary map from Time to Fly (in pop-up windows)

Average Day of First Arrival: 31 Mar Loxton, D. & Sparks, T. 2001. Arrival of spring migrants at Portland, Skokholm, Bardsey and Calf of Man. Bardsey Obervatory Report.

Loxton, D. & Sparks, T. 2001. Arrival of spring migrants at Portland, Skokholm, Bardsey and Calf of Man. Bardsey Obervatory Report.

European Population Size:

Summer: 20 to 41 million pairs (Trend in Numbers) Bufield, I. & Van Bommel, F. (2004) Birds in Europe. Birdlife International, Cambridge.

Population Assesment from Birds in Europe

Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas

Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: Bern(III), Bonn(II)

Survey Results:	Results from BirdTrack
	Results from Garden BirdWatch

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 20 x 15 mm

Egg Weight: 2.2 g (of which 6 % is shell)

Number of Nest Records: 96 (more would be welcome!)

Clutch Size: 4 - 5 eggs

4.56 ± 0.73 (2 - 7) N = 1255 British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data

Incubation: 13- 14 days

13.14 ± 1.59 (10.5 - 16.5) N = 1255

by the: Male + Female

Fledging: 11 - 12days

11.07 ± 1.30 (8.5 - 13) N = 1410

as: Altricial, naked Altricial birds remain in the nest, precocial birds leave the nest soon after hatching

Source:

British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data

First Clutches Laid: 10 May (26 Apr - 19 Jun) Joys & Crick 2004 Breeding periods for bird species in England BTO, Thetford

Number of Broods: 1-2

See trends in Breeding Productivity

Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.436 ± 0.018 (M:0.456 ± 0.066; F:0.292 ± 0.093)
Juvenile Survival: 0.356 (in First-Year)

Age at First Breeding: 1 year	Typical Lifespan: 2 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 10 years 8 months 15 days (set in 1988)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics
Ring Size: A (pulli B)
Wing Length	Adult:	74.7 ± 2.0 Range 66.0 - 83.0 mm, (N = 24217)
	Juvenile:	74.6 ± 1.7 Range 66.0 - 83.0 mm, (N = 254895)
	Male:	74.8 ± 2.0 Range 66.0 - 83.0 mm, (N = 13613)
	Female:	74.7 ± 2.0 Range 66.0 - 83.0 mm, (N = 10514)

Weight	Adult:	17.70 ± 2.04 Range 10.50 - 25.80 g , (N =21657)
	Juvenile:	18.3 ± 1.9 Range 10.5 - 25.8 . , (N =236910)
	Male:	17.39 ± 2.17 Range 10.60 - 25.80 g , (N =12124)
	Female:	18.10 ± 1.80 Range 10.50 - 25.70 g , (N =9454)
	Seasonal:	Summer 17.36 ± 1.50 (N = 38475) Autumn 18.65 ± 1.80 (N = 8714) Winter 19.73 ± 1.71 (N = 2222)
	Source:	British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names
Eurasian Blackcap


Gaelic: Ceann-dubh	Welsh: Telor Penddu
Danish: Munk	Dutch: Zwartkop
Finnish: Mustapääkertut	French: Fauvette à tête noire
German: Mönchsgrasmücke	Hungarian: Barátposzáta
Icelandic: Hettusöngvari	Irish: Caipín Dubh
Italian: Capinera	Norwegian: Munk
Polish: Kapturka	Portuguese: Toutinegra-de-barrette-preto
Spanish: Curruca capirotada	Swedish: Svarthätta

Local Names:Haychat, Mock Nightingale

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Mason, C.F. 1995 The blackcap Hamlyn, London [598.915 MAS]
Garcia, E. 1989 The Blackcap and the Garden Warbler Shire Publications, Princes Risborough [Jour: S]

See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead

Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla [Linnaeus, 1758]

Population and Distribution

Breeding and Survival

Biometrics

Other Names

For More Information...

BirdFacts