• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Reed & Bush Warblers (1 Viewer)

Richard Klim

Richard Klim

-------------------------
Kennerley & Pearson 2010. Helm Identification Guides: Reed & Bush Warblers. Christopher Helm, London.
http://www.acblack.com/naturalhisto...n=9780713660227&title=+Reed+and+Bush+Warblers

A few taxonomic differences at species level wrt IOC World Bird List v2.6:

  • Oligura castaneocoronata Chestnut-headed Tesia not placed in Tesia.
  • Nesillas typica Madagascar Brush Warbler retains longicaudata as a ssp.
  • Nesillas aldabranus Aldabra Brush Warbler (spelling).
  • Phragamaticola aedon Thick-billed Warbler not placed in Iduna.
  • Bradypterus thoracicus Spotted Bush Warbler retains kashmirensis as a ssp.
An appendix summarises revisions likely to result from...

Alström, Fregin, Norman, Zuccon, Ericson, Christidis & Olsson (in sub). Comparison of methods for inferring gene trees and species phylogenies using multilocus data in a taxonomically densely sampled avian family (Locustellidae):

  • Cincloramphus & Eremiornis synonymised with Megalurus.
  • Dromaeocercus synonymised with Bradypterus.
  • Bradypterus baboecala & B lopezi may merit splitting.
  • Bradypterus luteoventris may merit treatment as polytypic (2 sspp).
  • Bradypterus montis may merit lumping with B mandelli.
  • All Asian Bradypterus included within Locustella.
  • Locustella pleskei may merit lumping with L ochotensis.
  • Locustella (fasciolata) amnicola may merit specific rank.
  • Placement of pryeri within Locustella confirmed. Specific rank for L (p) sinensis not supported.
Richard
 
Last edited:
Megalurus ("Megalurus") pryeri?

I have heard that Pleske's essentially was a distribution split, and not based on vocals. It's apparently morphologically identical, although why they are confined to small islands is beyond me. Of course, if lumped, makes me feeling better about not having the time to go after it in Japan this summer.
 
Mysticete said:
Megalurus ("Megalurus") pryeri?
Click to expand...
Yes, Marsh Grassbird/Japanese Swamp Warbler. IOC and BLI now place it in Locustella, but Clements retains it in Megalurus.

Mysticete said:
I have heard that Pleske's essentially was a distribution split, and not based on vocals. It's apparently morphologically identical, although why they are confined to small islands is beyond me. Of course, if lumped, makes me feeling better about not having the time to go after it in Japan this summer.
Click to expand...
K&P note that Drovetski et al 2004 found that the divergence in mtDNA between ochotensis and pleskei was barely greater than the variation within ochotensis, suggesting that the two forms have not yet reached the point where they can be treated as distinct species; and Alström et al (in sub) also found the divergence in cytochrome b to be unexpectedly small (0.9–1.2%, mean 1.0%).

Hoping to see/hear pleskei next May...

Richard
 
Last edited:
Styan's/Pleske's Grasshopper Warbler

Mysticete said:
what island(s) are you visiting for the bird?
Click to expand...
Miyake-jima in the Izu-shoto. I understand it's reliable there. The island was off-limits for several years following the eruption of O-yama, and birders typically visited Hachijo-jima as an alternative, where it was reportedly much more difficult, with little suitable habitat.

Richard
 
I was on Hachijo-jima in August, and I really couldn't find any good habitat anywhere for the warbler, although they are reputably around in spots. Although the nice forests over the island did sort of compensate.

Bailey McKay was in Japan at the same Museum I was...He was able to find it pretty easy on Miyake-jima, although the island seems harder to visit for non Japanese speakers than Hachijo
 
Mysticete said:
Bailey McKay was in Japan at the same Museum I was...He was able to find it pretty easy on Miyake-jima, although the island seems harder to visit for non Japanese speakers than Hachijo
Click to expand...
Well, that shouldn't be a problem. We're cheating - travelling with Birdquest this time. ;)

I had no problem with organising the flights, ferries, trains, buses, rental cars and accommodations on a winter trip to Japan and Korea a few years back - everything runs like clockwork, as you no doubt experienced recently. But I must be getting too old/lazy...

Richard
 
Last edited:
Hah...I actually used the Birdquest trip reports to figure out places to go on my visit. Still didn't really have the time to visit Japan properly, and will need to go back some day (possibly for a postdoc?). Besides the winter birds I missed entirely too many breeding species, and never got a chance to visit the Bonins, Okinawa, etc
 
Richard,

As Morgan said, I found the birds easily on Miyake. There really isn't much habitat, but they are pretty common in what is there. In fact, all the Izu species are easy to find on Miyake. I had all the endemic species/subspecies within the first 2 hours (minus the endemic wren subspecies, which I didn't really go after).

I spent the next 24 hours searching for Japanese Night-heron with no luck. They are there, however--the local nature center gave me a roadkill specimen to take back to the National Museum.

Bailey
 
Miyake-jima

mckaybailey said:
As Morgan said, I found the birds easily on Miyake. There really isn't much habitat, but they are pretty common in what is there. In fact, all the Izu species are easy to find on Miyake. I had all the endemic species/subspecies within the first 2 hours (minus the endemic wren subspecies, which I didn't really go after).
I spent the next 24 hours searching for Japanese Night-heron with no luck. They are there, however--the local nature center gave me a roadkill specimen to take back to the National Museum.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Bailey - sounds good.

I suspect that few western visitors to Japan have seen, or ever will see, the night heron!

Richard
 
Last edited:
Apparently the Night Heron is fairly regular at certain spots during spring migration. Granted, the number of birders outside of Japan who head to those spots must be fairly small. I talked to one expat birder who had seen one walking around a city park in Kyoto in broad daylight!
 
Japanese Night Heron

Mysticete said:
Apparently the Night Heron is fairly regular at certain spots during spring migration. Granted, the number of birders outside of Japan who head to those spots must be fairly small. I talked to one expat birder who had seen one walking around a city park in Kyoto in broad daylight!
Click to expand...
This 2008 report by Björn Anderson made me envious:
www.club300.se/Files/TravelReports/Japan2008_BA.pdf

Richard (off topic, but just as secretive and elusive as various reed & bush warblers ;))
 
Saw an excellent talk given by Per Alstrom at the OBC today - Warbler secrets revealed by songs and DNA

Exciting stuff, and more to come soon I believe. No mention of the potential lumping of Pleske's, a conclusion I would much prefer having found one in NE China ;)

Now, back to the 'just' delivered new Helm guide to try and make sense of all I heard this afternoon.
 
Mark and Richard,

Following the meeting there was some good conversation until gone midnight on related topics (and some reasonable ale quaffing). Per mentioned that one of the generic issues mentioned in his talk (and another which he didn't have time to cover) will be published in the January Ibis, so interested readers should watch for those papers.

The Kennerley & Pearson monograph looks very good, but I didn't feel sufficiently pecunious to buy it yesterday, though I undoubtedly will before too long...
 
Cheers Guy, It's a shame I had to rush off, I'd rather have joined everyone down the pub to peruse matters further. Look forward to the January Ibis.
 
Chaetornis

Does anyone know if Chaetornis (Bristled Grassbird) ever has been sampled? I have a gut feeling it actually should follow Graminicola and join the babblers.
 
Scrub Warbler

Kennerley & Pearson 2010 (Appendix 7: Recent developments to 2010) notes: "Per Alström and colleagues have been investigating relationships within Cettiidae (Alström et al. in prep.)."

IOC World Bird List v2.7 (Draft) moves Scotocerca inquieta Scrub Warbler from Cisticolidae to Cettiidae, citing 'Alstrom et al 2011 (Jan Ibis)'.
www.worldbirdnames.org/updates-tax.html

Richard
 
Richard Klim said:
Kennerley & Pearson 2010 (Appendix 7: Recent developments to 2010) notes: "Per Alström and colleagues have been investigating relationships within Cettiidae (Alström et al. in prep.)."

IOC World Bird List v2.7 (Draft) moves Scotocerca inquieta Scrub Warbler from Cisticolidae to Cettiidae, citing 'Alstrom et al 2011 (Jan Ibis)'.
www.worldbirdnames.org/updates-tax.html

Richard
Click to expand...

Isn’t it surprising (morphologically speaking) that Scotocerca inquieta Scrub Warbler belongs to the Cisticolidae rather than to the Cettiidae. From the mere 3 representatives that we have at home, Scrub Warbler resembles more a Zitting Cisticola than a Cetti's Warbler. But I don’t know how the Bush-warblers in the species-rich Oriental region look like.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 9 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

Richard Klim
Reed and Bush Warblers
2
Replies
37
Views
11K
wolfbirder
wolfbirder
J
China - Beidaihe & Beijing, 6-20th October 2013
Replies
8
Views
4K
James Lowther
J
dennis
Forum warbler year list(III)
2 3
Replies
50
Views
4K
dennis
dennis

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top