Torrent Duck

Small plump leaf warbler. A “Pallas’s-type” leaf warbler: stout, with a pale rump, crown stripe, and prominent brow stripes. Olive-yellow above with a faint gray wash on the nape. Chinese is distinguished from Pallas’s by its paler, more faded-looking brow and crown stripes, less yellow suffusion all over the body, less compact appearance, and less obvious or absent upper wingbar. Extremely similar Gansu Leaf Warbler and Lemon-rumped Warbler can be difficult to separate; note Chinese’s slightly more elongated and less rounded appearance, a lack of a distinct hook under the end of the brow stripe, less contrasting and more yellowish head patterning, and paler yellowish secondaries. Forages actively, often hovering and hopping about at mid-level. Breeds in montane broadleaved deciduous or mixed forest; moves to lower elevations in winter. On average, found at lower altitudes than Lemon-rumped and Gansu. Lengthy song is unique and bizarre, with a twanging, grating quality: “btrichi-btrichi-btrichi.” Call is an explosive “wip!”, often repeated in medium-length series on the breeding grounds.

Medium-sized brown bird with a long, spiky tail. Found in a wide variety of moist and woody habitats, including rainforest, wet scrub, plantations, and gardens. Absent or very local in much of west and southwest Madagascar. Skulks in thick undergrowth. Incessantly given call is a Geiger counter-like ticking. Darker brown than Subdesert Brush-Warbler, with a lower-pitched call and little overlap in range. Similar to Madagascar Swamp-Warbler, but has less distinct breast streaking and white eyebrow, and is generally found in scrub rather than marsh.

Active small bird of humid tropical forest. Usually found singly, often moving with mixed-species feeding flocks. Clambers and climbs on small branches, twigs, and vines, mainly at middle to upper levels inside forest. Often hangs upside down like a chickadee. Note the bold white whisker mark, faint white streaks on the throat and crown, boldly patterned black-and-rusty wings and tail, and short, wedge-shaped bill. Where range overlaps with other xenops species, note the generally much fainter streaking on Amazonian Plain. Song is a short, relatively slow, high-pitched series of wheezy peeping notes.