Warbler: Phylloscopus or Hippolais? Ibiza - Spain (1 Viewer)

[yarrellii]

I was watching some action among the branches of a nearby field and what first appeared to be a willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) catched my eye. It displayed what seemed a greyish (or at least darker) cap, and the beak seemed surprisingly clear. I know the picture is pretty awful, but it's a frame from a video I was able to snatch before the bird flew off. What do you make of it?

Habitat and behaviour were typical of the Phylloscopus, which is common around, but somehow there was something slightly off, so is it possible that this is a Hippolais icterina or polyglotta. Unfortunately, it remained silent, so song/call was of no help.

Thanks all for your comments!

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,

its a Melodious Warbler for me. The right face impression and the yellow hues on the face (hue and extent) seems good for me= nearly ID book like, despite unsharp and only a single picture.
And your impression of an clear bill adds to my confidence of an Hippolais warbler too. You know I trust original observers more than a picture!
Short pp (in relation to the tail too) and location excludes most similär Icterine Warbler.

 

[yarrellii]

@Alexander Stöhr Vielen Dank for the detailed reasoning. I also usually trust first on-site impressions. There was something odd here, and at first I couldn't pick up what, since the Hippolais are not the most common warblers around here (but then it's high migration season, and the unstable weather has brought many interesting sightings these days), it's a pity that by the time I fetched the smartphone the bird flew (as it usually happens). Danke!

 

[Perangua]

Melodious for me too

 

[Tib78]

I was watching some action among the branches of a nearby field and what first appeared to be a willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) catched my eye. It displayed what seemed a greyish (or at least darker) cap, and the beak seemed surprisingly clear. I know the picture is pretty awful, but it's a frame from a video I was able to snatch before the bird flew off. What do you make of it?

Habitat and behaviour were typical of the Phylloscopus, which is common around, but somehow there was something slightly off, so is it possible that this is a Hippolais icterina or polyglotta. Unfortunately, it remained silent, so song/call was of no help.

Thanks all for your comments!

View attachment 1576487

Would you care to share the video and/or more stills?

The primary projection looks a trifle long to me and not only there seems to a decent pale panel to the secondaries but there seems to also be a silvery cast to outer greater coverts which is really a strong pointer to Icterine if really present.

Icterine is a regular passage migrants in small numbers in spring in the archipelago I believe and late April is an excellent passage date for the species so I think this bird is worth further investigation…

 

[yarrellii]

@Tib78 Thanks for all the input. I'm afraid I don't have a lot. I was watching it and, by the time I grabbed the smartphone and tried to record it, the bird just flew (and it was just so restless).
I don't think I can attach a video just like that, but the website does let me upload GIFs, so I've converted a few seconds of footage to GIF (with the inevitable loss of -the already meager- quality). This is all I got, sorry Let me know if you can spot any hints. Thanks!

View attachment Phylloscopus_.mp4

 

[cajanuma]

Would you care to share the video and/or more stills?

The primary projection looks a trifle long to me and not only there seems to a decent pale panel to the secondaries but there seems to also be a silvery cast to outer greater coverts which is really a strong pointer to Icterine if really present.

Icterine is a regular passage migrants in small numbers in spring in the archipelago I believe and late April is an excellent passage date for the species so I think this bird is worth further investigation…

I also get a strong Icterine impression with those long primaries, although the photo is obviously not great.

 

[Tib78]

@Tib78 Thanks for all the input. I'm afraid I don't have a lot. I was watching it and, by the time I grabbed the smartphone and tried to record it, the bird just flew (and it was just so restless).
I don't think I can attach a video just like that, but the website does let me upload GIFs, so I've converted a few seconds of footage to GIF (with the inevitable loss of -the already meager- quality). This is all I got, sorry Let me know if you can spot any hints. Thanks!

View attachment 1582539

Icterine, no problem: note the obvious tail dipping (also the impression of a forked tailed because the central rectriced are short). Plumage and primary projection are spot on too.

 

[Grahame Walbridge]

Icterine, no problem: note the obvious tail dipping (also the impression of a forked tailed because the central rectriced are short). Plumage and primary projection are spot on too.

Tail dipping is a strong pointer Tib, a trait not mentioned anywhere in the literature.

Grahame

 

[Tib78]

Tail dipping is a strong pointer Tib, a trait not mentioned anywhere in the literature.

Grahame

Indeed and that’s quite strange.
The tail dipping is particularly obvious and eye-catching for someone like me who sees a lot more Melodious than Icterine (the latter isn’t even a bird I see every year nowadays): no Melodious does that!

 

[kuzeycem]

Wow, that's new to me too. I've always felt the literature 'suggested' (though I've probably never seen in written explicitly) that neither Icterine or Melodious dipped tail, so I was quite surprised when I saw my first Icterine tail dipping somewhat regularly (never on pallida-levels though)

 

[Alexander Stöhr]

Hello,
thanks for correction!
yes I was biased by location? PP is quite long indeed, and the tail proportions are better for Icterine too (against what I wrote earlier, biased?)

I have posted this here before?Orpheusspötter und Gelbspötter excellent blog by Johannes Honold and Ralph Martin