Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

Iduna pallida

Small, pallid olive-gray warbler. Very similar to other Iduna and Acrocephalus species. Note its long and slender bill and faint pale wing panel (most prominent when plumage is fresh, sometimes not noticeable). Pumps its long tail continuously as it flits around in bushes and trees after small insects, a behavior which separates it from very similar Acrocephalus warblers. Found in open woodlands, riparian forest, as well as dry and semi-arid zones; strong connection with Tamarix bushes. Call is a dry and harsh “chack.” Song is a repeating scratchy sequence.

Identification

It is a medium-sized warbler, more like a very pale reed warbler than its relative the melodious warbler. The adult has a plain pale brown back and whitish underparts. The bill is strong and pointed and the legs grey. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are more buff on the belly. It has a characteristic downward tail flick.<p>The western olivaceous warbler differs from this species in being larger and having a browner tinge to the upperparts; it also has a larger bill. The eastern olivaceous warbler sometimes has a greenish tinge to its upperparts, and can be very difficult to separate from Sykes's warbler, Iduna rama. The song is a fast nasal babbling.

Taxonomy

The eastern olivaceous warbler (Iduna pallida) is a "warbler", formerly placed in the Old World warblers when these were a paraphyletic wastebin taxon. It is now considered a member of the acrocephaline warblers, Acrocephalidae, in the tree warbler genus Iduna. It was formerly regarded as part of a wider "olivaceous warbler" species, but as a result of modern taxonomic developments, this species is now usually considered distinct from the western olivaceous warbler, Iduna opaca.

Scientific name
Iduna pallida
Authority
(Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Acrocephalidae
Genus
Iduna

Range and habitat

It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa or Arabia. It is a rare vagrant to northern Europe.

Breeding range
PAL, AF : sc PAL, n AF
Non-breeding range
Sub-Saharan Africa
Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Malawi Batis

Malawi Batis

Batis dimorpha

A cute, dumpy, colorful flycatcher-like bird that flits around in the mid-canopy and understory of forest, forest edge, plantations, and gardens. Males have a broad black chest band, yellow-orange eye, white stripe through the top of the wing, and white throat. Females have an orange eye, buff-and-white stripe through the top of the wing, and rufous chin patch. The song is a series of 8-9 plaintive steady piping “peooop” notes, and calls include buzzing grating “ddrz-drrzt-drrr, ddt-ddzt-drzt-drr”. Female Dark Batis is distinguished by its darker (rich rufous rather than white and buff) wing stripe. Male Dark Batis is very similar, but has a slightly longer tail and broader black breast stripe. Also similar to Chinspot Batis, but has darker orange color to the eyes, and female Malawi Batis shows paler rufous on the throat and buff tinges to the wing stripe.

Silvered Antbird

Silvered Antbird

Sclateria naevia

Unique-looking antbird with a strong affinity for water. Medium-sized and chunky with a rather long bill. Male is medium-gray with a white throat and white spotting on the wings. Note the messy scaly appearance on the breast. Female is similar in pattern but is brownish overall, not gray. Note pale pink legs on both sexes. Widespread and reasonably common throughout much of lowland northern South America, east of the Andes. Almost always found in pairs near the edge of rivers or lakes in lowland forest.

Black-breasted Buttonquail

Black-breasted Buttonquail

Turnix melanogaster

Dark buttonquail of forested areas with dense layers of leaf litter in southeastern Queensland. Heavily patterned, with pale and dark mark markings below. Female has a mostly black head, heavily marked underparts, and a pale eye (Painted Buttonquail has a red eye); male has paler face, pale eye, and is less richly marked below. When feeding, this species creates deep, circular depressions in the leaf litter; searching for the presence of these depressions is often the best way to locate it. Vocalizations include a repeated clucking call.

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