Pale-legged Leaf Warbler

This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Phylloscopus tenellipes

Malay Name: Cekup-Daun Kaki Pudar Barat

Chinese Name: 淡脚柳莺

Range: Breeds from North Korea to Southeast Russia and winters in Southeast Asia. Precise wintering range rather unclear.

Taxonomy: Monotypic.

Size:

Identification: Adult resembles Arctic Warbler but has dark greyish crown contrasting with olive-greenish mantle, warmish olive-brown rump and pale greyish pink legs and feet. Indistinguishable from the very similar looking Sakhalin Leaf Warbler visually (or oftentimes even in hand), and in the field it can only be told apart by its call (~6Khz instead of ~5Khz) or characteristic song.

Similar looking species: Arctic Warbler, Sakhalin Leaf Warbler

Habitat: Forest.

Behaviour/Ecology: Usually forages for insects on the forest floor, sometimes climbing up low shrubs and vines to glean prey. May also be found in the mid-storey to canopy levels.

Local Status: Vagrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Featured articles:

Featured reports: Apr 2022

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Pale-legged Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus tenellipes
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2013 to Jun 2023 (all records)
Peak weeks Jan 01-Jan 07, Jan 08-Jan 14, Jan 15-Jan 21 (11 more)
Early date 12 Nov 2021
Late date 12 Feb 2022
Only one past record, from MacRitchie Reservoir in 2021-22. The call needs to be heard to separate it from the visually identical Sakhalin Leaf Warbler.
Pale-legged Leaf Warbler in Thailand. Photo credit: Lim Hong Yao

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Pale-legged Leaf Warbler)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Phylloscopus tenellipes. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22715324A94448249.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Hungnon, C., Khudamrongsawat, J., Manawattana, S., Pierce, A. J., & Round, P. D. (2017). Distinguishing between Sakhalin Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus borealoides and Pale-legged Leaf Warbler P. tenellipes on call. Forktail, 33, 77-80.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Pale-legged Leaf Warbler. Retrieved on September 26, 2023 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/pale-legged-leaf-warbler.

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