It breeds in mainland Europe except the southwest, where it is replaced by its western counterpart, the melodious warbler.

A fairly big warbler with a large head, broad-based bill and long wings with a quite short square-ended tail.

It will use copses, orchards, parks, gardens, shelterbelts and tall hedges interspersed with trees.

It referred to a small bird mentioned by Aristotle and others and may be onomatopoeic or derived from hupo,"under", and laas, "stone".

Icterus was an old word for jaundice, and also referred to a yellowish-green bird, perhaps the golden oriole, the sight of which was believed to cure the disease.