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Lesser Whitethroat sp. in Hong Kong (1 Viewer)

MKinHK

Mike Kilburn
Hong Kong
Here's a good one for the hard cases - and much more so than the Dusky Warbler I posted last time.

This is only the third Lesser Whitethroat record from Hong Kong and was found this morning by my mate Graham while we were out looking for a Pale-footed Bush Warbler in an urban park that has turned up some great birds this year.

As mentioned in Brian Small's paper on Desert Lesser Whitethroat in the NE this bird looked very different in different lights - very uniform when we saw it this morning, with a very smooth transition in colour between a dull grey-buff back and dark head, (looking almost uniform above) and with no visible contrast between the crown and ear coverts.

However around 1pm there was much more contrast visible, with one observer noting contrasting ear coverts and more contrast between the head and mantle.

Other features were a relatively long tail (which showed limited white in the outer tail feathers - I saw it hovering to catch insects and it appeared only to have white on the outer edge of the outer tail feathers, in contrast to the pix from Sweden on Bjorn Anderson's website) non-contrasting coverts and only in very good light slightly dark centres to the tertials, and a rather short and stubby primary projection which just about extended over the base of the tail.

Some background - the only Lesser Whitethroat confirmed in HK is blythi - DNA was taken from a trapped bird a couple of years ago.

The bird can be seen here: http://www.hkbws.org.hk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=9354#9354

The Swedish bird can be seen here:

http://hem.fyristorg.com/nonne/Artsangare.html

The paper discussing the Teesside Desert Lesser Whitethroat is here:

http://www.surfbirds.com/ID%20Articles/dlwhitethroat.html

Hopefully there will be a definitive answer to this one, as there are more photos from good photographers to come, and two members of the HK Records Committee, one of whom saw the bird today have done extensive wrk on Lesser Whitethroat taxonomy in recent years.

Cheers
Mike
 
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Had that turned up here in late autumn, I don't think I'd have been getting too excitable about it. (perhaps incorrectly) It's not obviously small-billed and that short-winged.

Mostly I'm just bumping this up for you!
 
according to the Alula Magazine 2/2007
halimodendri has warm brown mantle, mid grey crown, distinct and sharp dark grey mask (= ear coverts and lores), adult whitish umderparts, juvenile sligthly brownish toned underparts, size bigger than S.minula
S.althea:reminds a lot S.minula, but bigger in size, sligthly greyish brown toned underparts, white throat, head uniformly dark grey (no mask)
S.minula: small bill, brown grey mantle, the colour difference between paler grey crown and mantle non-existing, often small dark grey mask, underparts white/whitish
S. margelanica: reminds a lot halomodendri, but flanks are always coloured, pale brown
 
Thanks for the bump Jane and the comments from Alula Hannu.

All my references are packed away for my move tomorrow so any guidance or thoughts are warmly welcomed.

From this pic and others, I don't yet have permission to post (all taken in good midday light, when it should have been most contrasty) it looks to me like there is no contrast between the crown and the ear coverts, and that there is a buff tinge to the whole of the underparts except the throat.

It did call twice, but since it was in a spot with constant background noise from nearby traffic and I don't know any of the calls all I can say is that it sounded like it had a buzz on the end - not much moe than that to offer, sadly.

Cheers
Mike
 
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Tail pattern visible of r6 and r5 in second pic looks fine for ssp. curruca according to Shirihai/Gargallo "Sylvia Warblers". R6 with that dark wedge on inner web and thick dark shaft near tip. R5 with only a narrow white tip. Other ssps. with different pattern, whiter on both feathers.
 

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Hey Mike

I think you can rule out a couple of subspecies.

It looks too big and bulky for 'minula', the bill looks too big and the overall color is not pale enough. I have never seen 'margelanica' and if Hannu is right about it's similarity to 'halimondendri' it can't be ruled out.

Again I have never seen 'althea', but it seems unlikely and the head and underparts don't fit.

I think that leaves either 'blythi' or 'halimondendri' as possible choices.

We have had 3 Lesser Whitethroats in Japan, the last being in December 2007. The first two were assigned to the race 'blythi' and looked similar to the Hong Kong bird, but with perhaps a little more contrast between the head and mantle. The bird in Hong Kong also seems to lack the obvious white half eye-ring of the birds in Japan. However, the birds in Japan may have been assigned to the wrong race, as birds on the net show the same half eye-ring for 'halimondendri'.

Anyway interesting bird and I am sure the experts will nail the ID in the end.

Sean
 
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Siberian ssp.blythi is merged with nominate curruca in Sylvia Warblers. Possess on average only slightly browner upperparts than european nominate and usually a less pointed wing shape, being more rounded, but many are inseparable. Shows on average purer white tips to r6 than european birds. Even the type-specimen collected in India can't be separated from european birds on overall plumage colour...
In its southern range apparently freely intergrades with halimodendri, the two being largely inseparable on plumage and wing structure.
All too bad for very specific id on the subject bird imo.
 
One member of the HK Records Committee has made an initial asessment that this bird is minula (Desert Lesser Whitethroat).

His reasoning is available at the same thread as the pix were originally posted. There is also a phot of another bird seen several years ago which has been tentatively identified as minula:

http://www.hkbws.org.hk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=9439#9439.

As I understand it more work is ned to unravel the eastern races/species of Lesser Whitethroat, and this is likely to add substantially to what is in the Sylvia book.

I would add that I have no clue myself, and am just interested to hear other views and larn. Thank again to all those who commented.

Cheers

Mike
 
I searched for some minula's in the net.

For sure, many have seen this extensive link.
http://www.birdsoman.com/Birds/136-Warblers/DesertLesWhitethroat/DesertLesWhitethroat.htm
This one is very typical.
http://www.birdpix.nl/album_page.php?pic_id=87308&sid=7e167b17c86eab56bc66b22032e0800a
This one too.
http://www.birdingisrael.com/birdNe...p/desert_lesser_whitethoat_ye'elim_040104.jpg

Together with the convincing Teeside bird, the minula's look very petite.

What I can see about the dark crown and the non-contrasting coverts; not even darker directly below the orbital bristles (in fact they look even paler than the crown in the first two pics), leaves me in lingering doubts.

In the links , I can come immediately with the birds, but in this one I have to come with Mr. Leader.
Or stay aside.
 
While not being able to say what else it might be, my thoughts were similar to Gerdwichers8 - the bird looked very uniform on the head to me in the field, but lacking any memories of the Lesser Whitethroat I did see in NW China a few yaers ago, I bow to Paul Leader's experience with this group.

One point worth noting - apparently it is likely that halimodendri is synonymous with minula.

Cheers
Mike
 
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