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Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler and Lanceolated Warbler

 


It took me quite some time to develop an interest in various types of Warblers. There are so many other more obvious birds full of color and easier to see then this often rather skulky group of birds.

But evidently one starts to wonder what is making all those sounds  that eminate from the reed beds so armed with curiosity and a lot of trial and error the quest began.

This spring before these bird migrated to their breeding grounds in Siberia etc I spent more time getting to know them and trying to learn both sounds and behavior a bit better.


One of the more attractive one is the Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler aka Rusty-rumped Warbler.

It belongs to the family of Locustella warblers but this family which now has been split in to 2 clades.

Helopsaltes is a genus of passerine birds in the grassbird family Locustellidae.
A comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study of the grassbird family Locustellidae published in 2018 found that the genus Locustella consisted of two distinct clades. The genus was split and six species were moved to the newly erected genus Helopsaltes with Pallas's grasshopper warbler (Helopsaltes certhiola) as the type species. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek ἕλος/helos meaning "marshy ground" and ψάλτης/psaltes "a musician playing a string instrument". Wikipedia




At my local patch, Lat Krabang, the bird is found in the reed beds, sometimes venturing out into the rice fields and sometimes into the adjacent scrub. Early morning is always best to try to catch a glimpse and as in the photos I obtained, the usage of a hide is just about a necessity. This time my car served as a hide.

The strong streaking on the back is a give away and can only be confused with Lanceolated Warbler at LK. However Lanceolated seem a lot less showy and almost always appear on the ground where it runs around like a little mouse.

The white-tipped tail feathers and the rusty rump are other give away features for Pallas's though the white tips seem to often be worn.

It is primarily an Eastern Asian species but is also found in some of the Central parts of Asia.

The bird has many sounds and once the more frequent ones are learned it is surprising to realize how common the species is.

https://www.xeno-canto.org/462895

 And here is the song even if not the full version.

https://www.xeno-canto.org/553037

LANCEOLATED WARBLER


The bird has heavy streaking on the flanks and throat.

It seems a lot less numerous then Pallas's but that could also be due to being overlooked. I seldom hear it singing but more often a chuck which is very similar to many other warblers.  

Here is the regular call:  https://www.xeno-canto.org/545597

And here is a faster call which might be the alarm call:  https://www.xeno-canto.org/546603

And here is the very typical Locustella song:  https://www.xeno-canto.org/286274

These birds are found more Westerly then Pallas's but their summer grounds are exclusive to SEA.

From Wikipedia:

 The Lanceolated warbler (Locustella lanceolata) is an Old World warbler in the grass warbler genus Locustella. It breeds from northeast European Russia across the Palearctic to northern Hokkaidō, Japan. It is migratory, wintering in Southeast Asia. The genus name Locustella is from Latin and is a diminutive of locusta, "grasshopper".[2] This refers to the song of the common grasshopper warbler and some others in this genus.[3] The specific lanceolata is Latin for "spear-shaped" and refers to the streaks on the breast.[2]



 

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