Species:

Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis)

Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)

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Length (cm):
10-11
17-17
Wingspan (cm):
16-22
23-27
Weight (gram):
8-12
14-21
Size group:
Warbler-size
Sparrow-size
Main Texts:
Appearance:

Like a large Willow Warbler, with distinct dark eye-stripe. Supercilium marked, but narrow. Starts at base of bill, continuing far behind eye. Wing-bar distinct on greater coverts, and sometimes on median coverts too. Primary projection long. Bill long and relatively heavy with orange base. Flanks often slightly grey, and throat sometimes with faint streaking. Appearance robust, but elegant. Moves faster and with more confidence than congeners.

Sound:

Call and song diagnostic. Song a rattling series of 20-30 single syllables. Repeated as a monotonous phrase in stable pitch, lasting 2-4 seconds. Starts more softly with volume rising throughout each phrase. Contact call equally unique. A hard and short "tsrrt", recalling contact call of Dipper. Often given as introductory part of song.

Song (two variants) and calls:

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See sound file


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

CC-sound:Karri Kuitunen, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Highly variable with many subspecies in different regions. Upperparts mainly grey and greenish, underparts yellow. Tail quite short compared to other wagtails, and the whole bird in profile is not unlike a pipit. Smallest wagtail in the region. Some birds are very pale below, head markings are very variable, depending on subspecies. Hybrids are not uncommon. Differs from Grey Wagtail in dark legs, only pale yellow vent and narrow wing-bars. Juvenile White Wagtails and Yellow Wagtails can be confused, but White Wagtail is greyer, with big grey breast patch (Yellow Wagtail may show narrow breast band). Closest congener is Citrine Wagtail, which lacks dark lore, has broad wing-bars and grey back.

Sound:

Contact call characteristic and widely used; a sharp, drawn out "pseeeoo" with an accented ending falling in pitch. Song primitive and less striking. A variable phrase with two or three notes resembling the contact call in timbre. Beware differences in calls and songs between different subspecies.

Contact call:

Error loading Flash for sound!
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):
Silhouette Group:
Warbler-like
Silhouette
Wagtail/pipit-like
Silhouette
Several different images of the species
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
Several different sounds of the species
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