Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler
Helopsaltes certhiola
Furtive streaky brown warbler; typically buries itself deep in tangled vegetation and is very difficult to see. If seen well, note well-streaked upperparts, long wedge-shaped tail, and rufous rump. Only other well-streaked Locustella warbler in range is the smaller Lanceolated, which has a shorter tail and more extensive streaking on the underparts. Favors wet habitats; breeds in boggy taiga and vegetated riverbanks, winters in reedbeds and marshy fields. Clattering song reminiscent of reed warblers. Call a sharp “tik”; also gives a rapid-fire dry rattle.
Identification
This is a medium-sized warbler. The adult has a streaked brown back, whitish grey underparts, unstreaked except on the undertail. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are yellower below. Like most warblers, it is insectivorous. It is very similar to the common grasshopper warbler, but is slightly larger, has white tips to the tail and tertial feathers, and a warmer brown rump. The white tips are the reason for its colloquial, mnemonic name of "PG Tips".<p>This is a skulking species which is very difficult to see except sometimes when singing. It creeps through grass and low foliage.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Helopsaltes certhiola
- Authority
- (Pallas, 1811)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Locustellidae
- Genus
- Helopsaltes
Range and habitat
This small passerine bird is found in tall grass with some thicker vegetation, usually close to water in bogs or wet meadows. From 4 to 7 eggs are laid in a nest on the ground in grass. This species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. One of the best places to see this skulking species as a vagrant is Fair Isle, Shetland; for a species that only rarely appears in western Europe, it can be found there with some regularity.
- Breeding range
- PAL : e
- Non-breeding range
- OR
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Tacarcuna Wood-Quail
Odontophorus dialeucos
This rare chickenlike bird has an exceptionally small range on the border between Panama and Colombia. Found on the ground in mature forest from around 1,000–1,400 m. Dark brown overall with a black head, a whitish face and eyebrow merging with a buffy nape, and a white band across upper chest. Lives in small groups, which can be difficult to see. Listen for the rollicking whistled song, typical of wood-quail.
Andean Swallow
Orochelidon andecola
Uncommon to fairly common but sometimes local in the high Andes. Favors open country, such as rocky slopes, puna grasslands, bogs, and sometimes around villages and towns. Usually in pairs or small groups flying fast and often rather low; sometimes associates with Blue-and-white Swallows. Distinctive but rather nondescript: dark above and whitish below with a cleft tail, dusky throat, and vaguely brownish rump. Note that the undertail coverts are whitish on Andean, but dark on Blue-and-White Swallows.
Unicolored Thrush
Turdus haplochrous
Drab thrush endemic to floodplain forest of the Río Mamoré and tributaries surrounded by the flooded Moxos grasslands in El Beni, central Bolivia. From similar Hauxwell’s and Black-billed Thrushes by dull olive bill, exposed yellowish orbital skin, and relatively plain throat. Difficult to see, mainly because most of its habitat is tough to access. Song low, full whistles, 5-6 notes with little variation. Calls short full notes, or longer nasal calls.
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