Scientific name:
Hippolais icterina

Natural spread:
Central Europe

first very late in the year, not May ago, arrives from its hibernation-areas, savanna-groves in the tropical and southern Africa, the yellow-mockers or garden-mockers with us. They live in sunny foliage-forest-edges, park-country, gardens and culture-country with us at the edge of inner-waters. In all biotopes, densely leafy, as high as possible treetops and high shrubs must exist. The brood-areas essentially lie in Central Europe, westward the yellow-mocker is missing in South-France, Spain and Portugal, eastward it advances parallel with the reclamation of the country in west-Siberia on and on. In the southwest-European area, the Orpheusspötter (Hippolais polyglotta) lives, that hardly differs from the yellow-mocker with its also gray-green upper side and the light-yellow underside in the field.

Way of life The yellow-mockers are very active birds, that look restlessly for insects and defend its precinct vigorously. As imitations of the tone-remarks of other types are built-in into the reason-chant with all mockers. The chant is loud and becomes persevering, accompanies from powerful head-movements, recited.

Reproduction The brood-period begins end of May (in the south) until end of June (in the north). The nests of 7-8 cm of outside-diameter are carefully built little basket and usually erect in the thin branches of a bush or tree. With the base, stems turn into this, weaves grass, old foliage and roots existing nest from plant-fibers and webs firmly. The 5 (4-6) eggs are incubated by both parents approximately 13 days, then, the bare nest-stools slip. they still remain in the nest 13 days and of are taken care by the alto-birds. It is pulled open only one yearly-brood, because already in August, the brood-areas are left again.