Leaf warblers · Perching birds
Yellow-browed Warbler
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Phylloscopus inornatus
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Voice
Call
Amadeo A. Pombo Eirín
Call
Jochem verweij
Call
Jerome Fouert
How to recognize it
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Very small leaf warbler, olive-green above and yellowish-white below
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Two pale wing bars and a long pale eyebrow
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Brown bill with yellowish base; legs reddish-brown
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Thin high whistle, often a sharp "tseeweest" or "wist"
About the species
The Yellow-browed Warbler is a very small, lively leaf warbler with olive-green upperparts and pale underparts. What stays in mind is the neat pair of light lines on the head and the narrow pale stripe on the wing.
It is almost always on the move and usually keeps to the tree canopy, so it can be easier to hear than to follow. Its song is short, ending in a buzz, and its call is a quiet whistle.
It uses open conifer and mixed woods, scrub, gardens, and groves, avoiding both very open ground and dense dark conifers. It feeds on insects and migrates south for winter, with only small numbers staying in western Europe.
Where to find
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In mature parks and small groves with big lime, maple, or spruce trees, its thin whistle and short 'tseeweest'-like call often come from high in the canopy.
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In shrub thickets along quiet paths or park edges, it stays low and hops almost nonstop from twig to twig.
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On the outskirts of gardens and in sparse tree stands, look for the brief wing-flick that sometimes accompanies its song.
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In lightly wooded green pockets — not dense forest — listen for a soft 'wist' while it forages through leaves.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Phylloscopus inornatus Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Yellow-browed warbler Encyclopedia article