Reed warblers · Perching birds
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
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Iduna pallida
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How to recognize it
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12–14 cm, small and slim
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Plain pale brown upperparts, whitish underparts
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Long pointed bill, grey legs
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Distinct downward tail flick
About the species
The Eastern Olivaceous Warbler wears plain pale brown above and whitish below, with a faint yellowish wash on the underside. Its bill is long and pointed, and the look is finished by a small, low-key frame rather than strong markings.
It flicks its tail downward in a regular way, and its song comes as a fast, nasal babble. Outside the breeding season it keeps to cover, moving through bushes and trees as it picks insects and spiders from leaves and twigs.
Look for it in dry open country, scrub, orchards, and places with a few bushes or trees, including coastal thickets and oasis groves. It breeds across southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and western Asia, with southern populations staying put and northern ones moving to Africa or Arabia for winter.
Where to find
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Along canal banks, pond edges, and quiet waterfront reedbeds — it picks insects from twigs and leaves in the shrubs.
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In abandoned orchards and old fruit gardens — listen for a quick, scratchy song from low tree crowns.
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At open scrubby edges with a few young trees — it stays low and often gives itself away with a short tail flick.
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By coastal dunes or seaside thickets — most noticeable in the morning as it feeds among dry greenery.
