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Pallas's Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus proregulus) — photo 1 of 5
© Christoph Moning cc-by

Leaf warblers · Perching birds

Pallas's Leaf Warbler

Phylloscopus proregulus

How to recognize it

  • 9–9.5 cm, smaller than a sparrow

  • Green upperparts, pale underparts

  • Yellow crown stripe and pale wingbar

  • Constantly moving, often hovering briefly

About the species

Pallas's Leaf Warbler is tiny and quick-moving, with a green back, pale underside, and a yellow stripe running through the head. Its short tail and small body often disappear into leaves, but its constant motion gives it away.

It rarely stays still for long and often hovers for a moment while taking food, sometimes hanging upside-down among branches. The call is a short, soft "dju-ee", and the song is a quick run of whistles and trills from a hidden perch high in a tree.

It breeds in conifer forests and mixed woodland across southern Siberia, northern Mongolia, and northeast China, then moves south for winter to south China and nearby parts of Southeast Asia. It picks small insects and spiders from leaves, or catches them in short flights.

Where to find

  • In mature parks with old spruces, pines, and mixed trees, Pallas's Leaf Warbler stays high in the canopy — the clue is a fine, ringing call overhead.

  • Along pond edges and canal banks with willows and dense shrubs, it flickers through the leaves and briefly hovers to pick tiny insects.

  • In quiet courtyards with tall conifers, look near the treetops where the foliage is thick and the warbler rarely comes out into the open.

  • During autumn passage, check small squares with large trees — a fast, continuous twitter from above is often the giveaway.

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Sources