Japanese Bush Warbler Horornis diphone is a rare winter visitor to the coast of mainland China, with small numbers wintering on Taiwan. Male Manchurian bush warblers are noticeably larger than Japanese bush warblers, and many Manchurian bush warblers have a rufous forehead and crown. Japanese rarely show distinctly rufous crown, generally has brown upperparts more olive-grey than Manchurian, and a weaker supercilium. The races of Japanese bush warblers wintering on Taiwan and likely to be seen on the mainland, cantans and riukiuensis , are generally drab olive brown on the crown (not rufous in contrast to rest of brown upperparts as in Manchurian), warmest brown on wings, and more often seem to show less buff underparts than Manchurian. Habits and song much like those of Manchurian, but song of Japanese usually starts with a cleaner note (less “bubbling”). — Craig Brelsford
THE CETTIID WARBLERS OF CHINA
shanghaibirding.com covers most of the species in China in the family Cettiidae. Click any link:
Yellow-bellied Warbler Abroscopus superciliaris
Rufous-faced Warbler A. albogularis
Black-faced Warbler A. schisticeps
Mountain Tailorbird Phyllergates cuculatus
Broad-billed Warbler Tickellia hodgsoni
Japanese Bush Warbler Horornis diphone
Manchurian Bush Warbler H. borealis
Brown-flanked Bush Warbler H. fortipes
Hume’s Bush Warbler H. brunnescens
Yellow-bellied Bush Warbler H. acanthizoides
Aberrant Bush Warbler H. flavolivaceus
Grey-bellied Tesia Tesia cyaniventer
Slaty-bellied Tesia T. olivea
Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti
Chestnut-crowned Bush Warbler C. major
Grey-sided Bush Warbler C. brunnifrons
Chestnut-headed Tesia C. castaneocoronata
Asian Stubtail Urosphena squameiceps
Pale-footed Bush Warbler U. pallidipes
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Daniel Bengtsson served as chief ornithological consultant for Craig Brelsford’s Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of China, from which this species description is drawn.
