Albania (B), Bosnia and Herzegovina (B), Bulgaria (B), Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska), Cyprus (P), Egypt (P), Ethiopia (NB), Georgia, Greece (B), Israel (P), Jordan (B), Lebanon (B), Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (P), Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of] (B), Malta (P), Montenegro (B), Romania (B), Saudi Arabia, Serbia (B), Sudan (NB), Syrian Arab Republic (P), Turkey (B).
Vagrant to Czech Republic, Eritrea, Finland, Netherlands, Oman, Slovenia, Ukraine, United Kingdom.
Breeds in south-eastern Europe from Croatia south to Albania, northern Greece, southern Romania, Bulgaria and western and south-western Turkey; isolated populations in Syria and Lebanon. Non-breeding eastern Africa (eastern Chad, south-central Sudan and Eritrea).
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus orientalis) [XC367654]
by Hans Groot from Madzhari, Stambolovo, Haskovo, Bulgaria (song)
Eastern Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus orientalis) [XC360554]
by Nikolay Sariev from Dabravata, Strelcha, Pazardzhik Province, Bulgaria (song)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Phylloscopus bonelli (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) was split into Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli) and Eastern Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus orientalis) by AERC TAC (2003) (Sangster et al. 2002), but this treatment is not followed by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group, because although Sangster et al. (2002) argue that 'the calls of the allopatric bonelli and orientalis are completely diagnostic', Svensson (1999) state that in agitation both subspecies use the 'hü-if' call that is otherwise considered diagnostic of bonelli only. Given that the songs and morphology are very similar, and that the ranges of the two taxa show a close approach in Croatia, it seems wise at present to await further information from this region.
Was until recently treated as conspecific with Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli), but the two differ in vocalizations (primarily in calls) and also exhibit small differences in mitochondrial DNA.