Warblers from Seline, Croatia (1 Viewer)

[pprsk]

Both birds observed in scrubs on southern slopes of Velebit mountains. Small, very active, Sylvia in my opinion bigger than Curruca curruca.
Thanks.

 

[igorfest]

1° bird is a typical (structurally) but rather faded female Eastern Orphean Warbler, and the 2° bird looks a freshly plumaged juvenile (almost plain head and yellow gape) of the same species, but I sincerely can't explain that uniformly white underside of the tail. It looks almost albino in there, but with typical colors on rest of the plumage...

Ciao, Igor Festari, Italy

 

[Grahame Walbridge]

1° bird is a typical (structurally) but rather faded female Eastern Orphean Warbler, and the 2° bird looks a freshly plumaged juvenile (almost plain head and yellow gape) of the same species, but I sincerely can't explain that uniformly white underside of the tail. It looks almost albino in there, but with typical colors on rest of the plumage...

Ciao, Igor Festari, Italy

Concur with with both ID's including age/sex.

Igor, re undertail the pattern you see in the 2nd image, it is typical crassirostris since the outermost tail feather (R6) is largely white/whitish with a narrow black web to the base, which is precisely what the OP shows. This differs in hortensis which shows a much more extensive dark inner web with the white confined to the tip. Take a closer look and you will also notice the pale area is actually dirty/off white as opposed to pure white in adult, a useful ageing feature. Here, an adult for comparison ML323266051 - Eastern Orphean Warbler - Macaulay Library

Grahame.

 

[pprsk]

1° bird is a typical (structurally) but rather faded female Eastern Orphean Warbler, and the 2° bird looks a freshly plumaged juvenile (almost plain head and yellow gape) of the same species, but I sincerely can't explain that uniformly white underside of the tail. It looks almost albino in there, but with typical colors on rest of the plumage...

Ciao, Igor Festari, Italy

Thanks Igor,

crassirostris was also my primary feeling (lifer for me). regarding colors - the sun here is incredible, strong, big contrast and colors washed out. My feeling regarding the second bird was some Hippolais.

 

[kuzeycem]

I'm struggling to see an Orphean in the 2nd bird, the bill looks rather slender and the head looks completely brownish, with poor delineation from the throat. It gives me a Subalpine feeling but I can't be sure. Any other photos perhaps?