Chinese leaf warbler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chinese leaf warbler |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| At Taibai Shan, Shanxi, China | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Phylloscopus sichuanensis |
The Chinese leaf warbler (Phylloscopus yunnanensis) is a small bird. It belongs to a group of birds called Old World warblers. This bird lives only in China. It likes to live in dry forests and high-up shrubland areas.
Contents
Where Does Its Name Come From?
The Chinese leaf warbler's scientific name is Phylloscopus yunnanensis. A scientist named John David Digues La Touche gave it this name in 1922.
There is also another scientific name, P. sichuanensis, from 1992. Both yunnanensis and sichuanensis come from the names of places in China. These are the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.
What Does It Look Like?
The Chinese leaf warbler is a small, brightly colored bird. It is about 10 cm (4 inches) long. Its wings are about 5–6 cm (2-2.4 inches) long. Its body is a bit long and compact.
The bird has a tail that is slightly split or notched. It looks almost square. Its bill is short and pointed, about 1 cm long. The bill is dark brown on top and brownish-yellow underneath. The wings are very short and rounded. Its legs are thin and very dark. The claws and toes are dark brownish-grey.
Its Feathers
Birds' feathers, called plumage, can change. They might look different depending on their age or the season. In spring, an adult warbler's new feathers look bright. By summer, these feathers might look worn or dull.
Male and female Chinese leaf warblers look similar. Their upper bodies are pale green to olive-green. Their rump (the lower back) is yellowish-white. The head has clear markings. It has a pale stripe above its eye. There is also a faint yellow stripe on top of its head. Darker olive stripes are on the sides of its head. The feathers near its wings, called tertial feathers, are sepia-colored. They have whitish tips. The bird's eye has a broken ring around it. Its eye color is dark brown.
Where Does It Live?
The Chinese leaf warbler lives in certain parts of central and north-eastern China. It is common in Xin Shui, which is in Sichuan Province. This bird moves from place to place, meaning it is migratory. However, scientists do not yet know where it spends the winter.
It lives in mountain forests. It especially likes spruce and fir trees. You can find it at different heights, from 200 to 2800 meters (about 650 to 9,200 feet) above sea level. But it is usually found between 1000 m and 2600 m (about 3,300 to 8,500 feet). This bird prefers areas with low secondary growth (younger trees that grow after older ones are cut down).
How Does It Behave?
During the breeding season, Chinese leaf warblers can be seen alone or in pairs. These birds are usually quite bold. They almost always stay high up in the tree branches. There, they look for and eat insects. Male birds also sing from the tops of trees.
Its Songs
The Chinese leaf warbler has a special song. It sounds different from other birds in its group. The song often lasts more than a minute. It is a dry and simple tsiridi sound, repeated five times.
Its call note is loud and changes a lot. It is an uneven series of clear, scolding whistles. It sounds like tueet repeated five times. Then, there are four shorter series of notes. It finishes with another five-fold note. The last part can be a hammering tueet-tuee-tee, with a seven-fold tee. When the bird is close, its call is a soft trr-trr.
