Upcher's Warbler Hippolais languida Scientific name definitions

14–15 cm; 10–20 g. Relatively rather large Hippolais with fairly long, broad-based tail rather wide and rounded distally, and fairly long, strong-based and pointed bill; tail often kept semi-spread. Has short and generally poorly marked whitish supercilium reaching back to rear edge of eye or a little farther; whitish eyering; greyish or brownish-grey above, edges of tertials and secondaries whitish (in reasonably fresh plumage forming fairly prominent pale panel on closed wing); uppertail and exposed primary tips noticeably dark grey (can appear blackish in certain lights); outer rectrices have thin pale edges and prominent white tips; white below , faint buff-grey or creamy hue on side of breast and on flanks ; iris dark brown; upper mandible largely dark, lower mandible pinkish-yellow; legs greyish, often with slight pinkish or pale brown cast. Differs from similar Iduna pallida mainly in having slightly stronger bill, longer and broader tail, darker uppertail and wingtip, more obvious pale wingpanel. Sexes alike. Immature is somewhat browner, less pure grey, above than adult.

Locally in C & S Turkey, Syria, Israel, extreme S Caucasus, Iran, and from SW Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan E in mountains to Tajikistan, Afghanistan and SW Pakistan; winters in E Africa.

Apparently mainly insects and other invertebrates; no detailed study. Forages mostly in canopy of trees and tall bushes, searching foliage for insects; seen to forage briefly on ground in sheltered spots. On migration keeps mostly to trees, but forages also, to some extent, in lower scrub. Has peculiar habit of waving tail to the sides, and also slightly vertically (as if tail loosely attached), in similar manner to that of H. olivetorum; flicks wings rapidly while foraging, and sometimes stretches one wing straight out. When flying from one perch to another, often makes short glide on outstretched wings and somewhat spread tail before landing.

Song  an energetically delivered phrase of mixed nasal, hard notes and clear, more melodious ones, short segments habitually repeated similarly or identically 5­-8 times or more (up to 20), interfoliated with call-like “chak” notes, this together with recurring melodious figures (with big “tone steps”) making it resemble song of Acrocephalus dumetorum; at other times, with less repetitions, can recall subsong of a Sylvia species; phrases varying in length, 10–45 seconds. Call  a throaty, hard tongue-clicking “chak”, on average a little harder than that of I. pallida; alarm a drawn-out series of similar such notes, “chek-chek-chek-...”; in anxiety fast dry trills, “cher’r’r’r”.