The Chinese leaf warbler (''Phylloscopus yunnanensis'') is a species of

Old World warbler Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the ci ...

in the family

Phylloscopidae Leaf warblers are small insectivorous passerine birds belonging to the genus ''Phylloscopus''. Leaf warblers were formerly included in the Old World warbler family but are now considered to belong to the family Phylloscopidae, introduced in 200 ...

. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland. It is found only in China.

Etymology

The Chinese leaf warbler’s scientific binomial name, ''Phylloscopus yunnanensis'', originates from the Irish ornithological naturalist authority

John David Digues La Touche John David Digues La Touche (5 June 1861 Tours – 6 May 1935, Majorca (at sea)) was an Irish ornithologist, naturalist, and zoologist. October, 1935 issue. La Touche's career was as a customs official in China. The La Touche family was of Hugue ...

in 1922. A more recent Latin "junior synonym" alternate scientific name is ''P. sichuanensis'' from 1992. ''Yunnanensis'' and ''sichuanensis'' derive from the

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

and

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

provinces in China.

Description

The Chinese leaf warbler is a brightly colored, small leaf-warbler, with a total length of around 10 cm and a wing length of 5–6 cm. Its body is slightly elongated and compact. The warbler has a slightly forked or notched tail that is almost square in shape. Its

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

is pointed and short (around 1 cm long) and dark brown in color, brownish-yellow on the underside. The wings are very short and rounded, the legs slender and very dark. Claws and toes are dark brownish-grey with dusky buff undersides.

Plumage

Birds generally go through variations in the appearance of their plumage, depending on the stage in their life, the seasons or nutritional intake. In the spring season, this warbler in its adult phase has a new, fresh, or bright appearance already somewhat dulled. In the adult summer phase its feathers appear worn, or duller. The sexes are similar in appearance. The Chinese leaf warbler is pale green to olive-green above and has a yellowish-white rump. The head pattern is noticeable and striking in appearance, with a well-defined pale eyebrow stripe, a faint yellow median crown stripe and dusky-olive lateral crown stripes. The tertial feathers are sepia-colored and have whitish tips. The eye is surrounded by a broken eyering; the iris of the eye is dark brown.

Distribution and habitat

The Chinese leaf warbler can be found in confined regions or locations in central and north-eastern China. It is common in Xin Shui, Sichuan Province. The species is migratory, but its wintering grounds are currently unknown. It inhabits mountainous forests, preferring spruce and fir. It can be found at elevations of 200–2800 m, but usually between 1000 m and 2600 m. This species favors low

secondary growth In botany, secondary growth is the growth that results from cell division in the cambia or lateral meristems and that causes the stems and roots to thicken, while primary growth is growth that occurs as a result of cell division at the tips of ...

Behavior

Chinese leaf warblers can be found singly or in pairs during the breeding season. These birds are generally somewhat bold in personality. They almost always keep to tree canopies, where they feed on insects. Males also sing from the tops of trees.

Songs

The Chinese leaf warbler has a unique

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

compared to other species of its

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

. The song often lasts over a minute and is dry and monotonous ''tsiridi'' repeated five times. The call note is loud and varied, an irregular series of clear scolding whistles of ' repeated five times, then four series of decreasing lengths, finishing up with another 5-fold note. The last phrase can be a hammering ', with a seven-fold ''tee''. The close-range call is a soft ''trr-trr''.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3727652 Chinese leaf warbler Birds of China Chinese leaf warbler