Sykes's Warbler
Iduna rama
The Sykes's Warbler (Iduna rama) is a uncommon reed warbler found in 20 countries, weighing about 9 g. Sykes's warbler is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler family.
About the Sykes's Warbler
Sykes's warbler is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler family. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the booted warbler, but is now considered a full species. Its breeding range is from northeast Arabia to Turkestan, west China and Afghanistan. Like the booted warbler, many populations of the species migrate in winter to the Indian subcontinent as far south as Sri Lanka.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
It is a small warbler, especially compared to others in their genus. They are pale brown above and whitish below with buff flanks. The outer tail feathers have pale edges. They have a short pale supercilium, and the bill is strong and pointed. Sykes's warbler is larger and greyer than the booted warbler, and most resembles an eastern olivaceous warbler.
What the Sykes's Warbler sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Sweden, United Kingdom, Norway, Israel, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia.
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in January. It is a winter visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Sykes's Warbler?
- It is a small warbler, especially compared to others in their genus. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Sykes's Warbler?
- The Sykes's Warbler is a tiny sized bird weighing about 9 g.
- Where can you see a Sykes's Warbler?
- The Sykes's Warbler occurs in 20 countries, including India, Kazakhstan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Pakistan.
- What does a Sykes's Warbler sound like?
- You can listen to 2 field recordings of the Sykes's Warbler on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Sykes's Warbler?
- The Sykes's Warbler is most easily confused with the African Yellow Warbler, the Western Olivaceous Warbler and the Mountain Yellow Warbler.
- Is the Sykes's Warbler endangered?
- The Sykes's Warbler is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Sykes's Warbler for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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