[2] It breeds in northwest Africa, southwest Europe from Iberia to Italy, and then further east on the eastern Mediterranean islands and coastal regions.

Spectacled warblers are brown above and buff below, with chestnut wing patches and a white throat.

Adult males have a grey head and the white eye ring which gives the species its name.

Immature birds can be confused with both the whitethroat and the western subalpine warbler, and identification is difficult in the field.

[4][5] These small passerine birds are found in dry open country with bushes.