Species:

Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina)

Willow Tit (Poecile montanus)

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Length (cm):
13-13
11-11
Wingspan (cm):
20-24
17-20
Weight (gram):
10-15
8-14
Size group:
Sparrow-size
Warbler-size
Main Texts:
Appearance:

Green upperparts and yellow underparts. Sides of bill yellowish, legs slate grey. Short yellow supercilium which connects to yellow lore. Long wings and relatively short tail. The flat crown and long bill gives it a different head profile from Sylvia warblers. Often raises crown feathers. Very similar to Melodious Warbler, but differs from this in pale wing-panel and longer wings. Folded wings reaches tip of under tail coverts, and primary projection is as long as tertials. Juveniles paler than adults, with whitish supercilium. The pale wing-panel extends to fringes of greater coverts in addition to secondaries. Alert and agile bird. Usually hidden in foliage, also when singing.

Sound:

Contact call distinct. A hard, trisyllabic "che-che-fink" , or "che-che-weet" with upward inflection. Song very virtuous and varied. Most similar to Marsh Warbler, but timbre and attack harder and more powerful. Tempo varied with many pauses, but includes longer, and more flowing sequences than Marsh Warbler. Song frequently interrupted by characteristic, nasal, high-pitched squeaks unlike Marsh Warbler. Master of mimicry. Imitations are often repeated several times before changing to melodious motifs or more "noisy" phrases.

Song:

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Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Appearance:

Very similar to Marsh Tit, but cheeks whiter, head bigger, and upperparts greyer with white wing-panel. Black bib wider and bigger than in Marsh Tit. Lacks white spot at base of upper mandible. Willow Tits in Great Britain are warmer brown and are more difficult to separate from Marsh Tit.

Sound:

Call: Most characteristic call a frequently uttered, nasal "ti ti chaa chaa chaa". First notes high pitched and the following lower, coarse, nasal and drawn. Sometimes uttered without the introductory high pitched notes. Song: One or two soft, clear, melancholic notes repeated in a slow, even rhythm. At first rising slightly in pitch, then gradually falling. In some areas song is evenly pitched. Other sounds: high pitced "zi zi" similar to other tits.

Alarm:

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See sound file


Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Similar species (image):
Similar species (sound):
Silhouette Group:
Warbler-like
Silhouette
Tit-like
Silhouette
Several different images of the species
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Several different sounds of the species
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Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file
Error loading Flash for sound!
See sound file