Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides     photos Sid Francis

A larger full-capped warbler - chunky bill with nicely contrasting dark upper and yellow lower mandible. Should show just one wing-bar but our birds sometimes show a trace of a second - but never as much as a real two-barred. Once you spot that full cap, half the identification battle is solved. The complicated song, is not as distinct as the cap/bill combo but soon learned and recognized when these birds are singing around you in the field - the call is a distinct wagtail like chiwhip.

Similar Species - on breeding grounds large-billed is also full capped, but the easy to recognize large-billed vocalizations make for an easy separation. Plumage features are a little more obscure - with large-billed has a brown bill that lacks the yellow. - can be seen in the field but best in photos. Greenish should be a brighter bird with more of a distinct wing-bar - but lighting conditions and plumage variation makes these differences less obvious. Greenish's habit of being more of an open percher than the surprisingly skulky large-billed can also be an important pointer.

Habitat - forests, at Wolong/Balang starts around 2,500m up to treeline scrub at over 3,500m.

Vocalizations - song made up of repeated two syllable notes that are given between trills and silent pauses. It's very different from similar looking large-billed, while the sweet trilling portions are quite noticeable and put you onto birds. The call reminds of a wagtail and again is quite easy to hear.

Song here     Sid Francis iNaturalist

Call here - xeno-canto     Peter Boesman, XC916495. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/916495