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SINGING OF BIRDS ON MALTA AND GOZO
BY
JOHN GIBB.
THE following notes on the singing and calling of birds, mostly of
species on the British List, were made on Malta and Gozo between
September, 1941, and July 1945. They do not pretend to be eompreprehensive on the subject of bird song on these islands, but they
may add something to available information on the singing and
calling of birds in winter quarters or on passage, a subject for the
study of which an island such as Malta is particularly adapted,
because all individuals of nearly all the species are definitely
migrants. Where my own interpretation of a song or call has
differed from that in The Handbook only in its verbal representation,
then for the sake of simplicity I have used The Handbook version.
But where in my opinion my own interpretation more accurately
describes what I have heard I have allowed this to stand.
GREENFINCH (Chloris chloris ? aurantiiventris).—Winter visitor.
The spring and summer call of the male "tsweee," heard regularly
from mid-February till departure of birds in mid-March.
LINNET (Carduelis cannabina ? mediterranea).—Winter visitor; a
few breed in the neighbouring island of Gozo. In good song February
and March before the vast majority of birds depart.
SERIN (Serinus canariu's serinus).—Winter visitor. Sings persis­
tently all winter.
CHAFFINCH (Fringilla c. caelebs).—Winter visitor. Song complete
with terminal flourish recorded once, March 8th, 1945.
CORN-BUNTING (Emberiza calandra).—Resident, breeds.
Song
period as in British Isles except that song is much reduced in July
and early August.
SHORT-TOED
LARK
(Calanirella
b. hrachydactyla).—Summer
visitor, breeds.
1. Ordinary flight call heard at all times.
2. Normal song is sustained from arrival at the end of March
until end of June; becomes less frequent throughout July and was
only once recorded in August.
3. Plaintive whistling "see-eer." Very distinctive. Seldom
heard on arrival until mid-April. Becomes very frequent in late
April and continues until the end of July and first week of August.
Throughout July it is more commonly heard than the normal song.
4. A musical trill down the scale of 2-3 seconds duration, uttered
from the ground or some slight eminence. Quite different from the
normal song and perhaps best written "tee-tee-ti-ti-te-te-too-tootoo-too." Heard early May until end of June regularly; in July
occasionally; not recorded for August and once September 19th.
TREE-PIPIT (Anthus t. trivialis).—Passage-migrant.
Not heard
in song. The Maltese name Tizz describes the note.
MEADOW-PIPIT (Anthus pratensis).—Winter visitor. Not heard
in song. Maltese name Pespus is again descriptive of the note.
VOL. xxxix.]
BIRDS ON MALTA AND GOZO.
355
BLACK-HEADED WAGTAIL (Motacitta flava feldegg).—Passagemigrant. No song. Note "shrreep," harsher and less sibilant than
the "tsweep" of the Blue- or Ashy-headed Wagtails. It most closely
approximates to the "chizz-shrip" note of the White Wagtail, but
is distinguishable from it by being monosyllabic.
WHITE WAGTAIL (Motacitta a. alba).—Winter visitor and passage
migrant. No song. Notes, I, the usual "tschizzik," and 2, the less
common "chizz-shrip."
WOODCHAT SHRIKE (Lanius s. senator).—Passage-migrant and
summer visitor. I likened the song to that of a subdued Starling
and lacking the cheery laughing bubbles of that bird.
COLLARED FLYCATCHER (Muscicafia albicollis).—Notes, 1, a sharp
hard "tzit" together with a nervous flick of the wings, and 2, a
plaintive whistle "pweeeet."
CHIFFCHAFF (Phylloscopus c. collybita).—Passage-migrant and
winter visitor. Sings from mid-January onwards.
WILLOW-WARBLER (Phylloscopus t.trochilus).—Passage-migrant.
Sings regularly in April.
MOUSTACHED WARBLER (Lusciniola m. melanopogon).-—One only
seen, March 24th, 1944. In fine song from a low fig tree bordering
a field of deep scylla. I recorded it as being sweeter and not so loud
as a Sedge-Warbler; it was delivered jerkily with a slight pause
between each phrase.
ICTERINE WARBLER (Hippolais icterina).—Passage-migrant. Sings
frequently, but not well.
MELODIOUS WARBLER (Hippolais polyglotta).—Passage-migrant.
I was only once able to identify this species from the Icterine when
I heard the characteristic sparrow-like chatter, a soft "chi-chi-chichi-chi. . ." with the mandibles slightly parted and vibrating.
GARDEN-WARBLER
(Sylvia borin).—Passage-migrant.
Once
recorded in a subdued song, April 7th, 1944.
WHITETHROAT (Sylvia c. communis).—Passage-migrant.
Sings
occasionally end of April and beginning of May.
LESSER WHITETHROAT (Sylvia c. curruca).—Passage-migrant.
Song recorded March 28th, 1942.
SARDINIAN WARBLER (Sylvia m. melanocephala).—Resident,
breeds. In full song February to June inclusive. Sings occasionally
rest of the year with a possible small gap at end of November to
early December. In addition to the song and the usual strident
notes there is also a soft "kuick"; often repeated two or three times
at intervals of a few seconds and sometimes immediately prior to
the full song.
SUBALPINE WARBLER (Sylvia c. cantillans).—Passage-migrant;
one or two pairs may remain to breed. Sings regularly and well on
arrival at the end of March and in April. A song of contentment
rather than ecstacy, entirely lacking the raucous cries of the
Sardinian, from which it is easily distinguished.
DARTFORD-WARBLER (Sylvia undata ? subspecies).—Irregular
winter visitor. One male recorded in slight song, January 16th, 1944.
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BRITISH BIRDS.
[VOL. XXXIX.
SONG-THRUSH (Turdus ericetorum philomelus).—Winter visitor.
Song once heard, March 4th, 1943.
BLUE ROCK-THRUSH {Monticola cyanus).-—Common sedentaryresident. I have noticed three distinct alarm or anxiety notes. A
harsh churring ; a very high-pitched and plaintive " peep," corres­
ponding to the " tsee " of the Blackbird [Turdus m. merula) ; and
an abrupt hard''tehuk", accompanied with a nervous bobbing, tail
flicked open and wings drooped, used less frequently than the
corresponding note of the Blackbird.
Song begins towards the end of January and is maintained until
mid-May. In September, October and November it sings again
but without the fervour of spring.
The loud and pure fluting notes much resemble those of the
Blackbird, though the phrases of the song are shorter ; the fine song
takes on a beautifully haunting quality as it re-echoes along the
steep rocky valleys and cliffs. The male delivers the song from a few
well-used and prominent perches, or else in flight. In the latter
case it may either be the display flight, confined to spring, when
the bird flies with slow beating wings or glides with widely fanned
tail, and the song becomes slower and more deliberate, but
equally beautiful; or it may be in ordinary flight in spring and
autumn.
WHINCHAT (Saxicola rubeira),—Passage-migrant.
Full song
recorded once, May 15th, 1945.
STONECHAT [Saxicola torquata rubicola).—Winter visitor. Two
instances of slight autumn song, November 1st, 1943 and November
3rd, 1944. Full song heard February 7th, 1945.
BLACK REDSTART (Phcenicurus ochrurus gibraltariensis).—-Winter
visitor. I listened to one singing for several minutes on March 7th,
, 1942. The song consisted of a single phrase of thin sweet notes often
though not invariably followed by a short metallic chatter, "tsi-tsitsi-tsi." The bird repeated this little combination many times in
quick succession.
NIGHTINGALE [Luscinia m.
megarhyncha).—Passage-migrant.
Sings regularly and well on spring passage.
ROBIN [Erithacus r.rubecula),—Winter visitor. Sings hard on
arrival in October; song decreases throughout December and
January, rising slightly in intensity in February.
SWALLOW (Hirundo r. rustica).—Passage-migrant. Sings regularly
on spring passage.
NIGHTJAR [Caprimulgus e. europceus).—Passage-migrant. Churr­
ing song heard at night once for two or three minutes, May 9th, 1942.
HOOPOE (Upupa e. epops).—-Passage-migrant.
I heard the
"hoop" several times on one occasion when three birds were playing
together, March 28th, 1942. The Maltese name of Dakkuka describes
this note.
WRYNECK (Jynx torquilla ? subspecies).—Passage-migrant. Calls
regularly on spring passage, often with reduced volume. Autumn subsong twice recorded, December 1st, 1942 and November 21st, 1944.
VOL. x x x i x ]
BIRDS ON MALTA AND GOZO.
CUCKOO (Cuculus c. canorus).—Passage-migrant.
April 15th, 1942.
MEDITERRANEAN SHEARWATER {Puffmus k.
357
Heard calling
kuhlii).—Resident,
breeds. I visited a breeding station on Gozo, June 2nd, 1945. The
birds were milling round the breeding cliffs and calling continuously
an almost indescribably weird cry which I attempted to translate
as "eeeerweh-oooorweh, wer-huh"; this was the basis cry, the first
two words distinctly separate and the final grunts often omitted.
But there was infinite variation on this theme; no two birds were
quite alike. The variation in pitch from bird to bird was extra­
ordinary: some were like the deep guttural grunting of a pig, others
shrill and wheezy like a baby crying. I came to recognise a few of
the more outstanding individuals by their own peculiar call from one
particular spot on the cliff. This commonest note was given both in
flight and from the ground. I also heard a deep purring and a cat­
like squeal unrelated to the usual note and I think only used from
the ground.
QUAIL (Coturnix c. coturnix).—Passage-migrant and resident;
breeds. The triple call is first heard from wintering birds in early
February; it continues through to July, becomes less frequent in
August and I recorded it twice only in September. I heard it once
by night at 0200 hours in a full moon on August 19th, 1943.