Hume's Leaf Warbler
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| Hume's Leaf Warbler | ||||||||||||||
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| Phylloscopus humei (Brooks, 1878) |
The Hume's Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus humei), or Hume's Warbler, is a small leaf warbler which breeds in the mountains of central Asia from the Hindu Kush and Karakoram east and north to the Tien Shan in China and the Altai in Mongolia, with the race mandellii disjunct in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. This warbler is migratory and winters mainly in India.
This is a common bird of mountain woodlands at altitudes of up to 3,500m. The nest is built in a tree. Like most Old World warblers, this small passerine is insectivorous.
It was previously considered to be race of the Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) but the forms humei and mandellii now comprise this species.
This tiny warbler is prone to vagrancy as far as western Europe in October, despite a 3000km distance from its breeding grounds. It is a rare vagrant in late autumn and winter in Great Britain.
The Hume's Leaf Warbler is one of the smallest warblers, and shares greenish upperparts and off-white underparts with typical leaf warblers. It is very similar to the Yellow-browed Warbler, sharing a long supercilium, crown stripe and well-marked tertials. However, it has only one prominent wing bar, only a faint second wing bar and duller colours. It also has dark legs and lower mandible.
This bird is not shy, although its arboreal life style makes it difficult to observe. It is constantly in motion. Its song is buzzing and high pitched. The best distinction from the Yellow-browed is the more disyllabic call.
This bird is named after Allan Octavian Hume.