Vietnam - Part 1 - Phyllies' ID (1 Viewer)

[Fwin71]

Hi there,

We were around 1 month in Vietnam from mid-January to mid-February (plus one day in Bangkok) and we have a few birds for which we are not sure about the ID.

I am starting here with the Phylloscopus family...

Bird 1: Pic 1 & 2. It is most likely a Radde's warbler. Call, look and jizz correspond but we would like to be sure. This one was seen in Cat Tien, southern lowland, close the headquarters, 24th January

Bird 2: Pic 3, 4 and 5. This one is hard. On pic 1, it looks more like Radde's (stronger beak, longer supercilium) but on the second and third more like dusky warbler (think beak, plain ear-coverts, pale rump). It was somewhat reacting more strongly to Radde's playback. The pic was taken at higher elevation in Ta Nung valley, close to Dalat (southern Annam).

Thanks for the help folks!
Marta and Arnaud

 

[andyb39]

The first bird looks good for Radde's.

The second does too - the bill looks quite stout in the first image, the supercilium is warm-coloured and diffuse before the eye, bolder and whiter beyond it, legs are yellowish-brown and it has curry-coloured undertail-coverts. Are you quite sure the second image shows the same bird?

 

[Fwin71]

hey, thanks! Yes, it is the same bird. It flew from the ground to a nearby tree when we came closer and we kept on taking photos of it...

 

[johnallcock]

Both Radde's I'd say.
For the second bird, the legs/feet look too strong for Dusky, typical for Radde's on pic #3 and #5. I agree that the bill looks a bit too slim on pic #4, but this is affected by burn-out from the pale background which may be misleading. I'd trust the appearance of the other photos more. Did it call at all?
The other possibility would be Yellow-streaked, which is intermediate between the two species, but I think that Dalat is too far south.

 

[Fwin71]

Both Radde's I'd say.
For the second bird, the legs/feet look too strong for Dusky, typical for Radde's on pic #3 and #5. I agree that the bill looks a bit too slim on pic #4, but this is affected by burn-out from the pale background which may be misleading. I'd trust the appearance of the other photos more. Did it call at all?
The other possibility would be Yellow-streaked, which is intermediate between the two species, but I think that Dalat is too far south.

Thanks! Yes, we also think the pic was misleading.
I remember the ear coverts looked mottled but it isn't very visible on the pics.
No, this second bird didn't called but reacted to the playback of Radde's by becoming agitated and coming closer.