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Warbler? for ID (1 Viewer)

Sumit

Well-known member
Hi Folks,
Shot this bird last week at Bharatpur, Northern India. Size about 13-14 cms actively feeding at 7-8 feet. Keoladeo National Park at Bharatpur is India's best known bird sanctaury and is full of water bodies. This was shot in dry scrub some distance from water. No other images available. Request ID help.
Thanks and regards,
Sumit
 

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Its a great picture, but not for identification! Can't see the wings or judge the facial structure! First 2 questions.

Was it acting like a Phylloscopus or a Hipploais?
Was the apparent greenyness present in life or is this light through the leaves?

Thinking out loud... it sort of looks like a Booted Wabler, based soley on the rather robust looking legs, but it does appear to be green.

It might just be a Willow Warbler/Chiffchaff? Worried about those apparent streaks on the crown though.
 
Any sign of any wing bars? Cant tell from the photo.

If your size estimate is right it could be a Large-billed Leaf Warbler (phylloscopus magnirostris). It breeds in the Himalayas and winter in NE and S India, as well as Sri lanka. It's large size, large dark (slightly hooked?) bill, black legs, very bold yellowish-white super and broad dark eye-stripe all seem to fit with your bird. Grimmett and Inskipp book of Indian Subcontinent shows it with with 1-2 faint wingbars, call also important feature, a loud, clear, whistled upward-inflected "der-tee".

Hope that might help
 
That would fit with the chunky feet on something that was otherwise Willow-Chiff-like. I missed the size estimate of course!
 
I've got to say that on my screen there is hardly any green at all!!!
Colour wise (well on my screen anyway!) it would fit perhaps Dusky & Smoky Warbler, I think both of which turn up at Bharaptur occasionally.
Off that one picture I couldn't be convinced that it is a Dusky and I've never seen Smoky.
Other than that I can only think of maybe one of the darker "cettia" Warblers fitting. But I think they all have rounded tail ends don't they?
But if my screen is crap and it is really green, then it could possibly be a Tickell's Leaf Warbler which I know turn up there as uncommon irregular visitors.
Tom
 
The eye stripe is only obvious in front of the eye.. and the super is really pretty short and weedy... there is a hint of bridging. That rules out most of the Phyllosc doesn't it?

The bill looks long and pointy (allowing for foreshortening) and the top surface at least looks black. The lower mandible looks pale along its length... and its feet still look huge.
 

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I'm not sure its a phyllosc.

I think there are 1 or 2 "cettia" warblers with square cut tails, but I have no idea which.

Don't birds look weird from the front?
 
The head-on angle might be making the eye stripe more significant than it really is; chunky legs, dull plumage, in fact not many distinguising features at all!... Garden Warbler? Probably not, but possibly.
 
Its as close as I can get from here... the thumbnail still reminds me of a small hippolais - which I guess makes sense if its really a Cettia. The super and eye stripe are real.....someone must have exprience of these things! Tim?
 
It just came to me:

Grey Sided Bush Warbler.

I saw one either at Bharatpur or Corbett in 1999.

(Watch somebody post 10 reasons why it can't possibly be!)

Tom
 
Since I don't have the vaguest idea what one looks like I can't start! Another Cettia I assume. See the one thing that really bothers me is that the bird looks like a largish Phyllosc apart from those feet and a lesser extent legs.
 
Hi Folks!
Just back and thanks for all your replies. While abientus Chiffchaff has been suggested, I differ as the bird was larger and closer to a Blyth's Reed which was feeding nearby. A suggestion has been Cetti's Bush warbler ( cettia cetti) but the crown stripes are real and hard to fit.
Jane, it was not behaving like a Phyllo and was moving too fast (I only had one clear chance to see it) to record more than what the camera has done. The coloour is real, see the leaves.
Hope that helps.
Sumit
 
Tom , I am stuck at work so cant check in the books but I am pretty sure that Grey Sided Bush Warbler has more of a rufous tone to the head, but if you have the field guide if front of you correct me if Im wrong.
 
Tom! Not sure its a grey sided bush warbler!
:)


I think all the bush warblers have pale legs....which this bird doesnt have. Bush-warblers are a nightmare! During my 8mths in Nepal I had plenty of time to study the warblers and I only managed to positively identify them a couple of times.....abberant being the most common in Chitwan NP on the Indian border. If this was a bush warbler then I'd go for Abberant as they are the most greenish looking...like this bird....but if the size estimate is right then our bird is bigger.

Pretty sure its not a dusky, and certainly not a smoky...they are real dark like sooty grey! Nice bird all the same. Don't think its a Tickell's leaf either as they are like a really washed out willow/chiff, think there is too much colour in this bird.

Still like to hear if it had any wing bars at all, and if the bill did appear slightly hooked?

Ben
 
thanks Jane, I have never seen Cetti's and based on your inputs can discard that line of thought. Frankly, on my own, I came up with a weird 1st winter Sedge Warbler match which is hopeless as it is only rare vagrant to North India. Doubt if it was a Phyllo though.
 
Hi Ben,
Just saw your reply, thanks.
Can't add much on definitely but will hazard that there were no wing bars. Did 1st think that this colud be a Blyth's Reed Warbler but the jizz being different and the colour being brighter, decided to take a shot. Would not have taken a shot if I was sure that it was a Blyth's Reed.
Sumit
 
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