Sykes's Warbler

Image by Jan Bisschop
United Arab Emirates, January 2005

Iduna rama

Identification

• Pale brown upperparts
• Whitish underparts
• Buff flanks
• Pale edges to outer tail feathers
• Square-ended Tail
• Short pale supercilium
• Strong and pointed bill

Sexes are similar.

Similar Species

Looks similar to Booted Warbler and was previously considered conspecific with it. Differentiated by more whitish below, greyish above, shorter wings and longer tail and flatter crown. It rarely shows darker toes like booted. Could be confused with Blyth's Reed Warbler which has rounded tail without white outer tail feathers.

Distribution

Northeast Arabia to Turkestan, Afghanistan and western China. Winters in the southern Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka. Common Summer breeder in Baluchistan and parts of Pakistan.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].
Formerly considered conspecific with Booted Warbler and placed in genus Hippolais.

Habitat

Open country with bushes and other tall vegetation. Winters in scrub and groves in dry habitat. Breeds in waterside reeds.

Behaviour

Breeding

The 3-4 eggs are laid in a nest in a bush or vegetation.

Diet

They are insectivorous. Also feed on nectar.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Wikipedia
3. BF Member observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Sykes's Warbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 10 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Sykes%27s_Warbler

External Links

Search for photos of Sykes's Warbler in the gallery