Lanceolated Warbler
Locustella lanceolata
Small, compact brown warbler with distinct black streaking all over the body. Note black stripes forming “braces” on the back. Very hard to see when not singing, but when located can be very confiding. Breeds in swampy open forests, reedbeds, and swampy edges across the taiga; winters in similarly tangled and densely vegetated habitat. Song is a long insectlike trill which ascends then descends as the bird moves its head; can be difficult to pin down. Calls from cover, giving a dry, incessant “chit-chit-chit-chit”.
Identification
The lanceolated warbler (Locustella lanceolata) is a species of Old World warbler in the genus Locustella. It breeds from northwest European Russia across the Palearctic to northern Hokkaidō, Japan. It is migratory, wintering in Southeast Asia. The genus name Locustella is from Latin and is a diminutive of locusta, "grasshopper". This refers to the song of the common grasshopper warbler and some others in this genus. The specific lanceolata is Latin for "spear-shaped" and refers to the streaks on the breast. This small passerine bird is a species found in grassland with some thicker shrubby vegetation or trees, often close to water in bogs or wet clearings. Five eggs are laid in a nest in a tussock. This species is a rare vagrant to western Europe. One of the best places to see this skulking species as a vagrant is Fair Isle, Shetland. This is a small warbler. The adult has a streaked brown back and whitish grey underparts, which have small lance-head like streaks, that are also found on the undertail. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are yellower below. Like most warblers, it is insectivorous. This is a skulking species which is very difficult to see except sometimes when singing. It creeps through grass and low foliage. The song is a monotonous mechanical insect-like reeling as in other species in the group, often given at dusk. There are two subspecies recorded, as L. l. lanceolata (Temminck, 1840) and L. l. hendersonii (Cassin, 1858).
Taxonomy
Genus: Locustella; Family: Locustellidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Locustella lanceolata
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1840)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Locustellidae
- Genus
- Locustella
Range and habitat
Breeding range: PAL : n, ne. Non-breeding range: se Asia.
- Breeding range
- PAL : n, ne
- Non-breeding range
- se Asia
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Bamboo Warbler
Locustella alfredi
Mid-sized warbler with a long tail. Dark brown overall, with a white throat and pale eye-line. Found very locally in middle-elevation habitats with a dense ground cover, including bamboo, forest, marsh, and lush grassy areas. Rare species that is not often seen. Most likely to be detected and identified by its distinctive song: a ratcheting up-and-down “dee-ka dee-ka dee-ka…” series which can last for several seconds. Very similar to Evergreen-forest Warbler, and best distinguished by its different song.
Katanga Masked-Weaver
Ploceus katangae
This red-eyed masked-weaver has a plain olive-green back and pink-brown legs. The breeding male has a black face mask, with the black band on the forehead above the bill varying from broad in the south to narrow farther north. Female and juvenile are dull and inseparable from other masked-weavers. Pairs and colonies are localized residents of reedbeds, wetlands and adjacent woodland, in a narrow global range between northeastern Zambia and southeastern DRC. The breeding males of Katanga and Southern masked-weavers are very similar, but the former are smaller, have some saffron around the masks, and have darker green backs and rumps; breeding male Tanganyika and Lake Lufira Masked-Weavers have more burnt-orange around the face and underparts, and ranges do not overlap.
Purple-throated Mountain-gem
Lampornis calolaemus
Stunning medium-sized hummingbird. Male shows bright purple throat, blue crown, and white line behind eye. Female not quite as colorful but still striking: bright buffy underparts with black cheek and white line behind eye. She is very similar to female White-bellied Mountain-gem but has greener tail; only safely identified with a good view. A forest hummingbird of middle elevations that also comes out to edges and gardens, visits feeders.
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