Phylloscopus warbler for ID: possible Two-barred Warbler

posted in: birds, Identification | 0

I saw this Phylloscopus warbler (dark green leaf-warbler) that was feeding on a caterpillar. The key features include:

  1. Two easily seen wingbars
  2. A long supercilium which is pale (hardly any yellowish)
  3. Lower mandible orange-yellow, upper mandible horn black
  4. No median crown stripe
  5. No yellow under the tail; very little yellow on underparts

I considered the commoner (for my region) Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) but there is definitely no median crown stripe. The Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) has not yet been recorded this far south but is a possibility; however there is limited yellow on the underparts. That suggests the Two-barred Warbler (Phylloscopus plumbeitarsus) which is considered a vagrant to my region. I have seen a similar bird on 23rd December 2007 in my Ipoh garden.

Note that feeding just 2-3 meters away from this bird was an ‘Arctic Warbler’ (unsure which one).

Appreciate any opinions.

 

Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr) – Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Location: Kledang-Sayong Forest Reserve, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

Habitat: Trail along primary jungle

Date: 17th January 2020

Equipment: Equipment: Nikon D500 SLR with Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR, handheld with Rode VideoMic Pro Plus Shotgun Microphone

 

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Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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