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. Records currently under review are also not displayed. For a full list, click here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

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

Singapore Birds Project. (n.d.). Pale-legged Leaf Warbler. Retrieved on June 6, 2023 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/pale-legged-leaf-warbler.