Two Barred or Yellow Browed Warbler, Perak, Malaysia (2 Viewers)

[ChooEng]

Dear all,

Was at Kroh (now known as Pengakalan Hulu) a town about
20kms from Baling (Kedah state) and 40kms from Gerik (Perak State)
in northern Peninsular Malaysia, very near to Southern Thailand,
when I saw this Warbler by a small leaf tree, at mid-storey.
Elevation about 1,000 ft?

The tree was not very tall about 20ft, and the bird was preening
and foraging in quite exposed branches, not very shy, that is
assuming it saw us and ignore us. We were able to observe it
for about 5 minutes before we lost sight of it. The tree was located
next to a small lake, not especially forested, but surrounding area is
rubber plantations, orchards, secondary forest, and much further
away primary and regenerated forest.

Don't think it gave any call, it should be slightly smaller than an
Arctic Warbler. It looks more greenish compared to the Arctic
Warbler. Sorry, most of my photos are either over exposed or
under exposed and corrected with Photoshop.

Any idea(s) what it is - the Two Barred or the Yellow Browed?

Thanks.

ChooEng.

 

[johnallcock]

Looks like a Yellow-browed to me:
Small size
Pale tertial fringes
Broad wing bars
Dark bases to coverts/primaries (contrasting with wing bars)

 

[Frenchy]

Yes, its a Yellow-browed Warbler for all the reasons John mentions.

 

[Jane Turner]

Well its got the tertial markings that would rule out Two-barred Greenish - but I have to say there is something about the grey cast to the crown and mantle and cleanness of the underparts that has me worried. If its not photographic artefact I'd be checking through other SE Asian Phylloscs

 

[RICHARD DAWKINS]

HI
i would go with Yellow Browed i've only seen then once but looks like it to me
Cheers Rich
http://www.richard-dawkins.fotopic.net

 

[ChooEng]

Thanks: johnallcock, Frenchy, Jane Turner and Richard Dawkins
for all your answers, much appreciated.
ChooEng.

 

[Jane Turner]

I still think that there are a lot of other options beyond those two species. Would like to know what a SE Asian specialist thinks. I've not got any literature handy... but something does look funny about this bird.

 

[Marcus Lawson]

I still think that there are a lot of other options beyond those two species. Would like to know what a SE Asian specialist thinks. I've not got any literature handy... but something does look funny about this bird.

Am certainly not a SE Asian specialist and am probably about to confirm this by suggesting Pale-legged Leaf Warbler which is no doubt form nowhere near where this bird was photographed. I do agree with Jane that there is something not quite right for YBW.

 

[Jane Turner]

http://www.zyworld.com/NAKARIN/paleleglefwarbler.jpg

That looks quite familiar!

 

[Frenchy]

http://www.zyworld.com/NAKARIN/paleleglefwarbler.jpg

That looks quite familiar!

Not a SE Asian expert, but...
Not completely sure what your link shows Jane, but its not a Pale-legged Leaf! (Edit - actually looks more like an Ashy-throated Warbler now i've had a better look http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/s...33&PHPSESSID=8ae785d19794c84044e808423419325e which is a Pallas's lookalike)

This is a P-L LW. http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/s...=1&PHPSESSID=8ae785d19794c84044e808423419325e

Note the single wingbar, brownish plumage, lack of pale tertial edges and most importantly, pale legs.

The bird in question has grey legs and all of the features that point to Yellow-browed, albeit an over-photoshopped winter bird in bad light.

 

[lostinjapan]

Hey Marcus

Definitely not a Pale-legged Warbler for a number of reasons..

1) wingbars - Pale -legged don't have them!

2) coloration - despite overexposure too bright green and yellow. Pale-legged tends to be greyer on the head and more brownish-green on the mantle

3) supercilium - too wide

also not a Greenish for reasons mentioned above.

To me this bird seems like a very bright Yellow-browed..albeit freshly plumaged, hence the bright green wing panel,

Can't really see why you are questioning it Jane, as it seems to lack a crown stripe, so ruling out most of the nightmare 'phylloscopus' warblers in the region.

Of course some more shots of the crown and rump would be nice..

Shame it didn't call.

EDIT Darn Frenchy beat me to it.

 

[Edward woodwood]

Yellow-browed for me.

I gree that Jane's bird is probably an Ashy-throated, as Paul suggested. It's showing the typically very white outer tail for example. It seems to be yellow under the belly, rear flanks etc and there is a median crown stripe visible. Plus it's nice and ashy on ther throat and upper breast

 

[Marcus Lawson]

Hey Marcus

Definitely not a Pale-legged Warbler for a number of reasons..

1) wingbars - Pale -legged don't have them!

Whilst I concede that it must be a YBW, Plate 84 bird no 4 in Birds of SE Asia (Robson) labelled as Pale-legged Leaf Warbler distinctly shows two wing bars!! This is Phylloscopus tenellipes to save any confusion.

 

[bitterntwisted]

Plate 84 bird no 4 in Birds of SE Asia (Robson) labelled as Pale-legged Leaf Warbler distinctly shows two wing bars.

So does this: http://baike.baidu.com/view/839273.htm

But the illustrations seem to much stronger wingbars than evidenced by OBC photos: http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/b...D=1827&Bird_Image_ID=5482&Bird_Family_ID=&p=1

Graham

PS - Wouldn't wish to disagree with the subject bird ID, which looks like a dull YBW to my untrained eye.

 

[lostinjapan]

Whilst I concede that it must be a YBW, Plate 84 bird no 4 in Birds of SE Asia (Robson) labelled as Pale-legged Leaf Warbler distinctly shows two wing bars!! This is Phylloscopus tenellipes to save any confusion.

Hey Marcus

Perhaps what I should have said was that they do not have the pronounced wingbars of Yellow-browed.

I have only ever heard Pale-legged once and not had conclusive field views so perhaps I should not have answered so flippantly.

From what photos I have seen and my limited field experience Pale-legged seem to be more uniformly pale green, even brownish depending on lighting, lacking obvious wingbars, as well as being a smaller build, though still a little larger than Yellow-browed.

I think the link provided by Bitterntwisted illustrate that Pale-legged do not always show even one clear wingbar, let alone two.

Although I have my doubts about one of the pics taken in Hong Kong even being a Pale-legged as it looks more like Sakhalin Leaf Warbler to me which I have seen and heard a lot here in Japan and which could conceivably winter in Malaysia :
http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/b...ecies&Bird_ID=1827&Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1

Sakhalin Leaf is superficially similar to Pale-legged in the field, though it tends to show a more marked contrast between a grey head and more olive-green mantle, and does show one, sometimes two wing bars, that can be almost pronounced as Arctic.

Anyway, sorry for causing any confusion.

Sean

 

[Edward woodwood]

From what photos I have seen and my limited field experience Pale-legged seem to be more uniformly pale green, even brownish depending on lighting, lacking obvious wingbars, as well as being a smaller build, though still a little larger than Yellow-browed.


Sean

that covers it pretty well Sean

I would only add that Pale-legged is quite browny esp on the lower back and has inconspicuous buffy wingbars, as you say, and is very pale / white underneath. It also lacks the tertial pattern of Y-b W. I don't think they'd be confused in the field. Arctic is perhaps more of a confusion species for Pale-legged

 

[johnallcock]

Birds trapped in HK include Pale-legged and Sakhalin Leaf Warblers (confirmed by DNA), which were only split fairly recently. These two species are considered indistinguishable in the field in HK so it would be interesting if definite field characteristics have been found in Japan. Both are fairly olive-green above, usually with a slight brown tinge and often with a slight contrast to a greyer head. There are often one or two wingbars but these are usually less obvious than in other species. The underparts are fairly obviously white and the legs are obviously pale.

As Tim says, the main confusion species for these two is Arctic Warbler, which is similar in size and structure. Arctic is greener above and yellower below with darker legs. Behaviour is a useful clue (pale-legged/sakhalin tend to stay fairly low, down, arctic usually forages in the canopy) and call is obviously different.

Although I have my doubts about one of the pics taken in Hong Kong even being a Pale-legged as it looks more like Sakhalin Leaf Warbler to me which I have seen and heard a lot here in Japan and which could conceivably winter in Malaysia :
http://www.orientalbirdimages.org/bi...ID=&pagesize=1

I personally think the bird Sean highlighted from OBC is an Arctic Warbler, although it does appear very grey and the super appears very white. The wingbar seems very obvious and pale for pale-legged/sakhalin, and the legs are not pale enough. I'd be interested to know what others think.