Kannur Warbler 4 Kerala , India (1 Viewer)

[Jayan Thomas]

Hello all,
Please help me id this warbler from Kannur, Kerala, India, taken in February first week 2024. It looks like a Clamorous Reed Warbler but with a lot of streaks on neck and breast when seen with the binoculars. The streaks are also seen in the pictures but not prominent . Is it a Oriental Reed Warbler?
Thank you,
Jayan Thomas

 

[Grahame Walbridge]

The apparent streaks are too smudgy/ill-defined and so more likely a product of feather alignment rather than actual dark streaks + there seems to be some feather loss/damage around the bill base and below the ear coverts/neck sides (lhs) that you have misinterpreted. Compare this Oriental Reed from Singapore ML427887951 - Oriental Reed Warbler - Macaulay Library

Jayan, since your bird has a very short primary projection (387pg.jpg) there is absolutely no evidence to suggest it is anything other than the default i.e Clamorous Reed Warbler.

Field separation of Clamorous Reed and Oriental Reed in the vagrant context has proven extremely problematic as the Thais can attest, where, Oriental Reed is the default, their records committee (BCST) currently only accept records of Clamorous Reed that are trapped and preferably supported by conclusive DNA evidence.

Given the status of Oriental Reed Warbler in the Subcontinent (nearest occurrences from W.Bengal), where Clamorous Reed is the default, you will never convince a records committee that your bird might be any thing other than the default species without far better quality images which enable critical analysis of the wing formula. Now take a look at this ORW from Kolkata (bottom image) Oriental Reed-Warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis) | Wild Bird Gallery P2=P3/P4, emarginated P3 (only) and it has a moderately long primary projection + streaked throat/upper breast, in combination, good indicators of ORW.

Grahame