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Phylloscopus
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- Laura's Woodland-Warbler
- Laura's Woodland-Warbler
- Laura's Woodland-Warbler
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Laura's Woodland-Warbler Phylloscopus laurae Scientific name definitions

Peter Clement
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2006

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

11 cm; 7·7–9·5 g. A medium-sized, bright green leaf-warbler with yellow on face to breast, also undertail-coverts. Nominate race has bright yellow super­cilium extending to above ear-coverts, dark olive-green lores and eyestripe, greenish-yellow cheek and ear-coverts; upperparts green, wing and tail feathers blackish-brown with broad green edges; chin and throat to upper breast yellow, lower breast, belly and flanks grey, undertail-coverts bright yellow, underwing-coverts pale greenish-yellow; iris dark brown; upper mandible dark horn-brown, lower mandible dull yellowish; legs greyish or greyish-pink. Differs from P. ruficapilla in having crown and upperparts concolorous, face to breast brighter yellow, belly whiter. Sexes alike. Juvenile is as adult, but duller or tinged brown on upperparts and dull greenish-yellow on throat. Race eustacei is generally brighter both above and below than nominate, including brighter yellow supercilium and face to breast, whiter belly and flanks with pale yellow wash.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

See P. umbrovirens. Race eustacei has been proposed as a separate species (1) on basis of plumage differences; further study needed. Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Phylloscopus laurae laurae Scientific name definitions

Distribution

W Angola (Mt Moco).
SUBSPECIES

Phylloscopus laurae eustacei Scientific name definitions

Distribution

SE DRCongo (Upper Shaba), N and NW Zambia and extreme SW Tanzania (Kitungulu).

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Swamp-forest, evergreen forest patches in miombo woodland, between 100 m and 1400 m. In W Angola, isolated nominate race occurs in montane forest at 2200 m.

Movement

Sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

Food mostly small insects and larvae. Usually alone, in pairs or in small groups of up to ten or so individuals; also in mixed-species flocks. Forages at middle level up to canopy level, mostly at forest edge and in clearings; occasionally towards ground level. Gleans items from among foliage, and makes frequent short dashing sallies after flying insects.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song a series of clear, high-pitched, descending phrases, frequently repeated with slight variation in phrases and with short pause between each series, e.g. “chirri-prichirri-prichirri-prichirri-pricheee”, “titiwee-titiwee-titiwee…”, or “twi-li-twi-li-twi-li-twi-li-twi-li…”.

Breeding

Season mainly Jul–Sept; birds carrying nesting material in Aug; birds in breeding condition in Angola in Aug, in Sept in SE DRCongo, and Sept–Oct in Zambia. No other information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Uncommon; locally common. Relatively poorly known species; field research on its ecology required.
Distribution of the Laura's Woodland-Warbler - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Laura's Woodland-Warbler

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Clement, P. (2020). Laura's Woodland-Warbler (Phylloscopus laurae), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.lauwow1.01
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