Page 447 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WARBLERS AND ALLIES
Family Sylviidae Species Hippolais pallida Family Sylviidae Species Hippolais caligata
Olivaceous Warbler Booted Warbler
The neat, long, flat-headed, long-billed, pale coloured This Hippolais warbler is like a Willow Warbler (see
Olivaceous Warbler is distinguished as much by its lack p.333) in general form, and also recalls the Paddyfield
of marked features as anything else. It has an all-pale Warbler in pattern. Pale sandy grey or warmer brown,
lower mandible and greyish legs.The wings are plain it has a spiky, dark-tipped pale bill and
although the feather tips are paler.The wingtip point a slight dark stripe through the eye dark sides to
crown
is short (longer on Icterine, and a thin pale line above it, sometimes
p.331, shorter on Booted). quite marked.The broad-based bill,
It frequently dips its tail, short undertail coverts, and long,
like a Chiffchaff (see p.336). slim, square-tipped tail (bobbed
OCCURRENCE Scarce upwards but not flicked down)
breeder in Spain, more help to identify it.
common in SE Europe; OCCURRENCE Breeds in
rare vagrant in NW extreme NE Europe; rare
Europe. vagrant in W Europe in
VOICE Sparrow-like autumn.
twitter and hard, dry VOICE Dry, hard,
tack calls; song unmusical, tapping tak or tek.
fast warble with
recurring pattern.
narrow whitish pale sandy
sides of tail grey body
long, slim
tail
Length 12–14cm (4 3 ⁄4 –5 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 18–21cm (7–8 1 ⁄2in) Length 11–12cm (4 1 ⁄4 –4 3 ⁄4in) Wingspan 18–20cm (7–8in)

Family Sylviidae Species Phylloscopus fuscatus Family Sylviidae Species Phylloscopus swarzi
Dusky Warbler Radde’s Warbler
Stockier than a Chiffchaff (see p.336), the Dusky A rare and highly prized warbler, skulking and elusive
Warbler is browner, tinged grey or olive, with a broad, but calling often, Radde’s Warbler looks dark, bulky,
long pale stripe over the eye (whitest in front, buff and strong-billed. Its legs are thick and bright pinkish.
behind), pale orange-brown legs, and pale underparts A long, slightly kinked pale stripe runs over each eye,
with slightly brighter, buffer flanks.The dark eye- edged darker above and below.The back is olive green,
stripe often sharpens the effect of the line over the eye. less brown than the Dusky Warbler’s, and the underside
OCCURRENCE Rare but annual vagrant in NW more brightly flushed with orange-buff on the flanks
Europe, from Asia, in late autumn. and rusty-buff on the undertail coverts.
pale stripe
VOICE Hard tchuk or tak notes, or repeated tek tek. OCCURRENCE Very rare but regular
over eye
late autumn vagrant to NW Europe,
from Asia.
broad pale
dark eye-stripe stripe over VOICE Soft, repeated, slightly
eye chuckling chup or chep.
fine,
pointed thick
pale bill pale
underparts legs

Length 11–12cm (4 1 ⁄4 –4 3 ⁄4in) Wingspan 14–20cm (5 1 ⁄2 –8in) Length 12cm (4 3 ⁄4in) Wingspan 15–20cm (6–8in)
445