Hume's Warbler
Phylloscopus humei
Compact leaf warbler with two whitish wingbars (one broad and prominent), greenish-gray upperparts, an indistinct crown stripe, and conspicuous white tips to the innermost flight feathers. Bill and legs usually dark. Extremely similar to Yellow-browed Warbler, but grayer and “colder” overall, with less extensive orangish coloration on the lower bill. Also compare with Two-barred Warbler and Greenish Warbler, both of which lack a crown stripe and have more extensive orange on the bill. Breeds in alpine shrubbery in mountain ranges flanking the Tibetan Plateau. Winters mostly in the plains just south of the Himalayas, but also on wet hilltops farther south. Often heard but not seen, it is best told from other leaf warblers by its distinct “chew-wee” call. Song is a remarkable descending insect-like buzz. Prone to long-distance vagrancy.
Identification
Hume's leaf warbler is one of the smallest "Old World warblers". Like most other leaf warblers, it has greenish upperparts and off-white underparts. With its long supercilium, crown stripe and yellow-margined tertial remiges, it is very similar to the yellow-browed warbler (P. inornatus). However, it has only one prominent light wing bar, just a faint vestige of the second shorter wing bar, and overall duller colours. It also has a dark lower mandible and legs.<p>Its song is buzzing and high-pitched. The best distinction from the yellow-browed warbler is the more disyllabic call. While the eastern and western Hume's leaf warblers already show noticeable differences in mtDNA sequence and calls, their songs do not differ; they are reproductively isolated only by allopatry and not usually considered separate species.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Phylloscopus humei
- Authority
- (Brooks, WE, 1878)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Phylloscopidae
- Genus
- Phylloscopus
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : sc, c China
- Non-breeding range
- India
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Bronze-winged Parrot
Pionus chalcopterus
A medium-sized parrot that usually looks all dark. With a good view, note the deep bluish-purple color overall with bronzy wings, messy pink splotches on the upper breast, and red undertail coverts. In flight, the bright blue underwings often stand out. Also look for the very deep wingbeats that seem to almost touch on the downstroke and barely come above horizontal on the upstroke – this helps separate members of the Pionus genus from the larger Amazona parrots. Bronze-winged is fairly common in forest and adjacent clearings in lowlands and foothills, up to around 2,500m. It is usually found in small flocks, most often seen in flight but also perched in the canopy or around fruiting trees.
Violet-eared Waxbill
Granatina granatina
A stunning long-tailed waxbill with a red bill, mauve cheeks, and a blue rump. The underparts are vibrant chestnut in the male and cream-buff in the female. Pairs are resident in arid thorn savanna and drier woodlands, where they forage on the ground and lower layers of scrub, often in the company of other finches. The species can be secretive, flying quite a distance when flushed. The Black-faced Waxbill is dark like Violet-eared Waxbill, but it has a red rump, a dark mask, and barred wings. The Purple Grenadier lacks mauve cheeks, and its range does not overlap.
Arfak Catbird
Ailuroedus arfakianus
A large, chunky, skulking bird of foothill and lower montane forest on the Bird’s Head. Black on the rear crown, cheek and back of the neck, interspersed with off-white flecking and a large white crescent behind the cheek. Black throat and chest patterned with neat arrowheads blending to diffuse spots on the belly. Often feeds on fallen fruits on the ground. May overlap with White-eared Catbird, but Arfak is usually found at higher elevation, is larger and has a distinctive black cheek. Call, a tuneless up and down, catlike warble.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.