Spotted Bush Warbler
Locustella thoracica
Furtive brown warbler. Brown above and pale below, with a striped vent. Namesake spotting is variable; Himalayan birds have a necklace of dark spots, while central Chinese birds have a much lighter stippled patch on the chest. Extremely difficult to tell apart from non-singing Baikal Bush Warbler where the two overlap: in Spotted, look for a stronger gray wash on the neck and chest, and warmer-toned upperparts. Sichuan and Chinese Bush Warblers can also be similar, but average more warmly-colored, with plainer underparts. Spotted Bush Warbler breeds in dense, shrubby, stunted growth near treeline and winters in reedbeds, wet meadows, and grassy edges. Furtive and skulking; listen for its song, a long series of curious, echoing, clicking phrases: “pritti-kee-kee-dee, pritti-kee-kee-dee.”
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Locustella thoracica
- Authority
- (Blyth, 1845)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Locustellidae
- Genus
- Locustella
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- OR : c Himalayas to c China
- Non-breeding range
- se Asia
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Spot-bellied Bobwhite
Colinus leucopogon
Small quail of dry habitats in interior valleys and on the Pacific slope. Favors brushy fields, thorn scrub with grassy areas and open pine woods. Often seen along quiet roadsides early and late in the day. Usually in small groups, which flush explosively with a loud whirring of wings. Males in Guatemala and El Salvador have white face and throat. Males in Honduras and Nicaragua have bold whitish face stripes and dark throat. All females have buff eyebrow and throat. Frequently found by hearing its loud whistled bob-WHITE! call.
Brown Bush Warbler
Locustella luteoventris
Shy inhabitant of scrubby areas in the middle to upper reaches of hilly and montane regions. Dark brown with a white throat and grayish belly. Long tail usually held horizontally, seldom cocked up. Rarely ventures out into the open except when singing; even then, it usually sings from partial cover. Song is a rattling series of dry, repeated notes, somewhat like clattering machinery.
Krüper's Nuthatch
Sitta krueperi
Small nuthatch with a bold white eyebrow, a dark crown (black in male), and prominent rusty breast patch and undertail coverts. Breeds in coniferous and mixed forests in middle elevations. Very vocal; song is a rapid, loud, high-pitched "Ueueueue….." or "Kikikiki….." Calls are various notes including a buzzing "Hui," and clear short whistles.
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