Last update: 8 January 2026

I was extremely pleased that my first photo of a Eurasian Blackcap on home turf, above, coincided with feeding time – his and mine.

I snapped the male above and the female below during a lunchtime walk through the Albert I Garden, or Jardin Albert 1er, in Nice, situated just north of the Promenade des Anglais on the western end of the Promenade du Paillon, the 12 hectare park that snakes across the city along the northern edge of the old town.

They are regular fixtures – as Europe’s most abundant bird, that’s not especially surprising. They tend to stick to dense vegetations so I haven’t found them that easy to photograph. I’m curious now to see how long into the autumn months they’ll still be around as the trees thin out a bit.

Fast forward to winter and we have a clear answer: still quite plentiful.

Here is another male, an early winter resident captured at the Jardin Alsace Lorraine Park during a midday break on 6 January 2026. His colors are nearly identical to the branches he’s resting on.

And below two females and another male, captured on 8 January, 2026, in the Jardin Albert I. The park is still closed –it’s been shuttered since late November as it hosts holiday festivities– while the Christmas village is being dismantled, so these were taken from the fringes along the Avenue du Verdun.

And two more images of another male below, snapped in a tree above a narrow canal at the Parc Ornithologique Pont de Gau in the Camargue taken in mid-October 2025. The second was taken just before he took off.

A Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) in brief (with an assist by WordPress AI but double checked by me):

• Size: Approximately 14-15 cm (5.5-5.9 in) in length
• Diet: Primarily insectivorous, also eats fruit and seeds
• Habitat: Prefers dense deciduous or mixed woodlands, gardens, and shrublands
• Physical Description:
  • Males: Distinctive black cap, greyish-brown body, white underparts
  • Females: Brownish cap, similar body color with slightly paler underparts
• Breeding:
  • Nesting in dense shrubs or trees, typically lays 4-6 eggs
  • Breeding season spans late April to July
• Conservation Status: Least Concern (IUCN)
• Unique Behaviors: Known for its melodic song; males sing during the breeding season to attract females and establish territory
• Range and Migration: Breeds across Europe and parts of Asia; migrates to western and southern Africa for wintering

More:

• Eurasian Blackcap at Birds of the World
• Eurasian Blackcap at BirdLife DataZone
• Eurasian Blackcap at eBird
• Eurasian Blackcap at Avibase
• Eurasian Blackcap at Wikipedia
• Eurasian Blackcap at iNaturalist