Buff-barred Warbler
Phylloscopus pulcher
Small and active “Pallas’s-type” leaf warbler with a long yellow brow stripe and pale rump. Yellowish-olive overall with two tan wingbars, one much larger than the other. White outer tail feathers typically invisible when perched, but eye-catching when the bird is hovering or landing. Extremely similar to other “Pallas’s-type” warblers, but combination of orangish wingbars, weak crown stripe, and rather uniform underparts is diagnostic. Pallas’s Leaf Warbler has a brighter crown stripe, a flashier rump patch, and yellow wingbars. Buff-barred’s head can sometimes have a gray wash similar to that of Ashy-throated Warbler, but it lacks that species’ clean white brow stripe. Buff-barred is common in hilly and montane forests, often as part of mixed-species flocks; listen out for its loud “tzeet” notes and shrill buzzy trill of a song.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Phylloscopus pulcher
- Authority
- Blyth, 1845
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Phylloscopidae
- Genus
- Phylloscopus
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- OR : Himalayas, s China and nw Vietnam
- Non-breeding range
- se Asia
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Pied Stilt
Himantopus leucocephalus
Large black-and-white shorebird with long straight, needle-like bill, and very long pink legs. Note black hind-neck. Juveniles lacks the black hind-neck and has a dark gray crown. Occurs in small groups or in immense flocks, usually close to water. Makes dog-like yapping calls (think Chihuahua).
Java Sparrow
Padda oryzivora
A small, plump finch with a very thick pink bill. The black head and white cheek patch are distinctive. Juveniles have a similar color pattern but are grayer. Social; forages in flocks and roosts communally. Forages in rice fields, grasslands, meadows, and urban and suburban areas (in introduced range). Call consists of one or more musical chirps. Native to the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali, where now quite rare. Introduced widely across the globe including India, Philippines, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and the Hawaiian Islands.
Matinan Flycatcher
Eumyias sanfordi
A chunky, drab flycatcher with a heavy hooked bill. Has a gray head with indistinct pale marking around the eye. Warmer olive-brown above with rufous-tinged tail, wings, and rump; underparts pale gray. Juvenile grayish with bold speckling on the chest. Inhabits understory of montane forest. Restricted to northern Sulawesi. Lacks the white belly of female Blue-and-white Flycatcher and the yellow belly of Sulphur-bellied Whistler. Short, melodious song is a burst of jumbled warbling notes that regularly rises and falls in pitch.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.