Passeriformes / Phylloscopidae / Phylloscopus
Emei Leaf Warbler
Phylloscopus emeiensis · 峨眉柳莺
Introduction
A species of leaf warbler in the family Phylloscopidae, formerly included in the Old World warbler assemblage. It breeds in China and is vagrant in Myanmar. The population appears stable, and the species is rated as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Description
Measures 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in) in length. The crown is greyish-green, darker at the rear, with a pale median crown-stripe that is poorly marked in front but broader and more distinct at the rear. Features a prominent pale yellowish-tinged supercilium and a distinct dark eye-stripe. Upperparts are dull green. Wings and tail are greenish with two prominent wing-bars formed by pale yellowish tips on median and greater coverts. The underside is whitish, indistinctly streaked with pale yellowish, with slightly more yellowish undertail-coverts. The iris is dark brown. The upper mandible is blackish, while the lower is pale orange. Tarsus, toes, and claws are pinkish-grey.
Identification
Differs from the sympatric Claudia's leaf warbler mainly by having a less contrasting crown pattern, with lighter lateral crown-stripes and a darker median crown-stripe. The song is a clear, slightly quivering, straight trill between 4 and 6 kHz, lasting 3–4 seconds, which is very different from sympatric species. The call is a soft tu-du-du, tu-du, or tu-du-du-du.
Distribution & Habitat
Breeds locally in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, and Shaanxi provinces in China. Appears on breeding grounds in late April. One non-breeding record exists from southeast Myanmar. Habitat includes temperate deciduous broadleaved forest, sometimes with spruce, Picea, or Abies, favoring a mix of old secondary and replanted broadleaved forest. Recorded at 1000–2200 m during the breeding season.
Behavior & Ecology
Presumed to eat insects, though no studies support this claim. Based on male singing activity, the breeding period presumably begins from mid-to-late April. Males display several verse types; up to eight have been recorded from a single individual.
Conservation
Rated as Least Concern by the IUCN. The total population size is unknown and the species is not known to be numerous anywhere, but the population appears to be stable.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
