Yellow-breasted Warbler nesting

I spotted a pair of Yellow-breasted Warblers (Seicercus montis davisoni) nesting in the montane forest at Cameron Highlands in Pahang, Malaysia.

I did not approach the nest or attempt to look at it. I stayed about 5-6 meters away. I was watching birds along a road and this pair was actively feeding young and generally comfortable with my presence; entering and exiting the nest while I was nearby.

The nest was located 2.5-3 meters on the slope/bank under the roots of over-hanging trees and bushes; the nest itself was not visible (see composite image above).

Both partners were actively bringing prey. They collected prey from 5-10 meters around the nest site and items I could identify were caterpillars, spiders and Crane Flies (Tipulidae) – see above. Much of the prey was gleaned from the under surface of leaves and ferns. After having observed numerous episodes, on this occasion and previous visits, I am now convinced that fluttering to obtain prey under foliage is a major hunting technique. They have very high-pitched calls but my recordings were poor (and old age hearing loss failed me).

Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr)
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
4th March 2019

Location: 1,700m ASL, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia
Habitat: Primary montane forest
Equipment: Nikon D500 SLR with Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD, handheld with Rode VideoMic Pro Plus Shotgun Microphone