Eastern Crowned Warbler

Phylloscopus coronatus

A boldly marked songbird, rather large for a leaf warbler, usually seen foraging in the canopy. From below, a bright yellow vent and broad orange-based bill distinguish it from most other local leaf- warblers. Crisp yellow-tinged olive above, with very weak thin wingbars and black-bordered white eyebrow. Pale crown stripe is often not visible. Similar to Claudia's, Blyth's, and Hartert's Leaf- Warblers but head pattern is more powerfully contrasting in Eastern Crowned. Song is a burst of two or three “wi-tcher” calls, followed by a wheezy and tuneless “reee.” Unlike other leaf-warblers, seldom calls on wintering grounds but sometimes gives a brief “fit” or sweeter “chi” (the latter sounding like Ijima’s common call). Breeds in openings, edges, and cuts in well-forested areas; can be found in a wide range of wooded habitats when not breeding.

Identification

The eastern crowned warbler is a medium-sized, rather robust and brightly coloured leaf warbler. It is dark olive-green above and white below with a strong head pattern of dark, grey lateral crown stripes with an indistinct yellowish median crown stripe. It also has a long yellowish-white supercilium with a dark stripe through the eye and dark lores and dusky yellow cheeks. It has a single pale wingbar. The square tail shows a slight fork. It has quite a strong, robust, pale-coloured bill and dark legs.

Taxonomy

Scientific name
Phylloscopus coronatus
Authority
(Temminck & Schlegel, 1845)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Phylloscopidae
Genus
Phylloscopus

Range and habitat

The eastern crowned warbler breeds in eastern Siberia from the Argun River eastwards and southwards into western Manchuria and into central Sichuan, the Korean Peninsula and Japan. It winters in south-east Asia from eastern India and Bangladesh to Java. It has occurred as a vagrant in western Europe with the first record for Great Britain being in County Durham in 2009; this was the fifth record for the Western Palearctic (UK and Scandinavia).

Breeding range
PAL : se Russia, ne China, the Korean Pen. and Japan; c China
Non-breeding range
se Asia to w Java
Migration
Complete migrants

Conservation

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

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