Phylloscopus humei
Hume's Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus humei) is a small and inconspicuous Old World warbler, measuring approximately 10-11 cm in length and weighing 6-8 grams. Its plumage is generally dull, featuring olive-grey upperparts, whitish underparts often tinged with yellow or buff, and a pale, yellowish-white supercilium above a dark eye-stripe. The most distinctive field marks include a single prominent pale wing-bar, sometimes accompanied by a fainter second bar, and pale yellowish legs. This species...
Breeds primarily in coniferous and mixed taiga forests, often near the treeline or in open woodlands, at high elevations. During winter, it favors foothills, scrub, and deciduous forests at lower altitudes.
Feeds almost exclusively on small insects and their larvae, as well as other small invertebrates, predominantly acquired through gleaning from foliage.
Hume's Leaf Warblers are highly active, diurnal birds, constantly flitting through foliage in search of prey. They employ a 'gleaning' foraging strategy, meticulously picking insects from leaves and twigs, and occasionally hover or make short flycatching sallies. Males establish and defend territ...
The breeding range of Hume's Leaf Warbler spans Central Asia, extending from the Altai and Sayan Mountains of southern Siberia east through Mongolia and parts of northern China (Xinjiang, Tibet). It also breeds across the western Himalayas, from Kashmir east to Nepal. A distinct subspecies, *P. h...
Least Concern
- Formerly considered a subspecies of the Yellow-browed Warbler (*Phylloscopus inornatus*) until genetic studies in the early 2000s confirmed its distinct species status. - Its scientific name, *humei*, honors Allan Octavian Hume, a British civil servant in India and an avid ornithologist. - The ...