Phylloscopus warbler, Langtang trek Nepal (1 Viewer)

[David Roche]

Hi Folks

Interested to see if anyone has any thoughts on the ID of this bird, photographed at Ghopte (3430m) on the way back down from the pass above Gosainkunda. Visually very different from the Greenish Warblers I saw elsewhere during the trek and around Kathmandu (the dark head and bronze toned upperparts giving an almost Pale legged Leaf Warbler impression) but hard to see what else it could be? Large billed Leaf Warbler would be the most likely alternative, but structurally, it didn't feel right. I never heard it call.

Cheers
David

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Hi David, the dark crown, obvious white lower eye-ring, single wingbar and all dark bill with an obvious sharply decurved tip to the culmen all suggest LBLW, but please await confirmation as this is a species with which I've very limited field experience, and I've yet to visit Nepal so unfamiliar with other potential candidates.

 

[kb57]

I've possibly got still less experience with LBLW, from Nepal but a long time ago - a singing bird near Ghorepani therefore unmistakeable.
Agree with @dwatsonbirder your pics do look very good for LBLW. However, my abiding impression was of a large leaf warbler with a noticeably large bill, so I can understand your hesitancy if you didn't get those impressions in the field.

 

[David Roche]

Hi David, the dark crown, obvious white lower eye-ring, single wingbar and all dark bill with an obvious sharply decurved tip to the culmen all suggest LBLW, but please await confirmation as this is a species with which I've very limited field experience, and I've yet to visit Nepal so unfamiliar with other potential candidates.

Thanks. I did see a couple of singing LBLW around Lama Hotel but would have liked to have seen others, so to get a better feel for the species. As far as other candidates go, the only other similar looking species should be Greenish or possibly Tytler's. Safe to say it's not the latter, but can't say I have ever seen a Greenish with such darkly colored upper parts.