Caroline Islands Swiftlet

Plain brownish warbler, without any striking features—in itself a field mark. Note hint of paler eyering, diffuse gray patch on side of neck, and relatively stubby bill for a warbler. Found in a wide variety of wooded and shrubby habitats, where it is often rather sluggish and easily overlooked. Pleasant, rich warbling song much like a Blackcap song, but tends to be more even-paced and less emphatic. Gives dry “chekchek” calls, often in series, similar to those of Blackcap.

Small. Entirely plain yellowish-olive with a very broad white eye-ring. Restricted to mossy cloud forest, mostly above 950 meters of elevation, but has been recorded down to 350 meters of elevation. Overlaps with Solomons White-eye but has a much broader white eye-ring and is more uniformly olive-green. Song is a long high-pitched warble. Common call is a sharp piercing “peep,” quite different from that of Solomons White-eye.

A retiring warbler of densely vegetated forest edges, lightly wooded slopes, and clearings in foothill to montane regions; favors areas with thick ground vegetation. Dull and unremarkable to look at; plain brown above and paler brown below, with a white throat and eyebrow. More contrastingly marked than Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler; smaller and stouter than Manchurian and Japanese Bush Warblers. Song is what sets it apart: a sharp note followed by a quick bout of chattering and squeaking.