Hume's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus humei      photos Sid Francis    

One of the small warblers with a typical small, fine bill, but lacking a rump and conspicuous crown stripe making it very similar to the brighter yellow-browed. However since Hume's is a breeding bird and Yellow-browed, passage/winter - safely identifying Hume's in its breeding habitat and and during summer months becomes a less complicated job. Its also aided by it's characteristic song - a type of soft buzzing trill. In Sichuan the breeding bird is mandellii but humei is met on passage - should be slight differences in plumage and vocals, and a split has been suggested. However, difficult to distinguish in the field and I thinks its safe to assume all sightings in breeding season to be mandellii.

Similar species - very similar to yellow-browed, which is a passage/winter visitor, so only limited periods when both species present. During breeding season hume's is quite easy to identify on plumage alone from other (vaguely) similar full-capped warblers that share breeding habitat. Greenish and large-billed are bigger with chunky bills and greenish has a conspicuous yellow lower mandible. Another full-capped warbler found in same habitat Yellow-streaked, is also a dull - but size and the fact this bird lacks wing bars and looks bigger should be just two of the obvious differences that precludes any confusion. From Yellow-browed is far more difficult, but good photos might reveal one diagnostic feature - Hume's has an all black lower mandible while yellow-browed has a distinct yellow base - generally hume's is the dull bird and Yellow-browed the brighter. Photos might reveal the very faint coronal stripe this bird can have, a feature it also shares with Hume's. One other warbler, Buff-barred, also found st similar elevations, has a vaguely similar song - but this is harsher, more of a rasp and not so soft in pitch - and in plumage, with noticeable white-outer tail feathers, easy to distinguish from hume's.

Habitat - high alpine conifer forest and scrub to over 4,000m - finding in this habitat during breeding season should solve any confussion with yellow-browed. However, during passage, possibilities of both birds turning up in a variety of habitats, including places like town parks - this is when the identification becomes trickier.

Vocalizations - The song is best described as a buzzing trill - short, high pitched but soft sounding phrases, under a couple of seconds in duration and almost insect like. It's  not a strident stand out noise - rather subtle . The call is high-pitched note sometimes a double note but a lot of variation on breeding grounds - there should be a difference between mandellii and humei but I find it indistinct and probably easier to separate in passage/winter birds when vocalizations less varied. Links to recordings of mandellii. Call vaguely similar to yellow-browed and its always useful to make a recording in lower elevations where species might be confused.

Song here - xeno-canto      Nick Athanas, XC23362. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/23362

Call here - xeno-canto     Peter Boesman, XC916440. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/916440