Lemon-rumped Warbler (Phylloscopus chloronotus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Lemon-rumped Warbler

Phylloscopus chloronotus (Gray, JE & Gray, GR, 1847)

9–10 cmLength4.9 gWeight

This small leaf warbler has a yellow or whitish rump and a single pale median crown-stripe.

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Bhutan, Nepal

Looks like Pallas's Leaf Warbler, Sichuan Leaf Warbler

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Pale median crown-stripe with darker sides
  2. Pale supercilium above eye; dark eyestripe often decurved
  3. Yellow or whitish rump
  4. Gray-brown wings with green feather edges; often one or two pale wing-bars

Male, female and young

Sexes similar, female slightly smaller; juvenile resembles adult.

Voice

Call is sharp and high-pitched, like “pist” or “psit”.

Similar species

Pallas's Leaf Warbler
Pallas's Leaf Warbler

The median crown-stripe and wing-bars are paler than those of Pallas's Leaf Warbler.

Sichuan Leaf Warbler
Sichuan Leaf Warbler

Also extremely similar in appearance; vocalizations are needed for separation.

Where and when it's recorded

Lemon-rumped Warbler has been recorded at 129 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 7 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Wildlife Institute of IndiaIndia1,225 records
  2. SattalIndia587 records
  3. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) – Nature Trail & LakeIndia381 records
More places
  1. Forest Research Institute (FRI), New Forest CampusIndia325 records
  2. PangotIndia179 records
  3. Mt. Phulchowki - Lowest Few Miles of RoadNepal169 records
  4. Mt. PhulchowkiNepal144 records
  5. PelelaBhutan112 records
  6. Dochula – Royal Botanical ParkBhutan89 records
  7. ChelelaBhutan88 records

Countries and regions with the most records

IndiaBhutanNepalChinaPakistanMyanmar (Burma)Bangladesh

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

Questions

How big is the Lemon-rumped Warbler?

The Lemon-rumped Warbler is about 9–10 cm long and weighs around 4.9 g.

Where does the Lemon-rumped Warbler live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: Himalayas and China. It is most often recorded in India, Bhutan and Nepal.

When is the best time to see the Lemon-rumped Warbler?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Lemon-rumped Warbler endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Lemon-rumped Warbler as Least Concern.

What does the Lemon-rumped Warbler eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Lemon-rumped Warbler in?

It belongs to the family Leaf Warblers (Phylloscopidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
9–10 cm
Weight
4.9 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Migratory
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
50 mm
Tail
37 mm
Bill
10 mm
Tarsus
16 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: Himalayas and China

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1
  • Phylloscopus chloronotus chloronotus e Himalayas to c China

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Leaf Warblers Phylloscopidae
Genus
Phylloscopus

Other birds in the genus Phylloscopus

Wood WarblerWood WarblerPhylloscopus sibilatrixWestern Bonelli's WarblerWestern Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus bonelliEastern Bonelli's WarblerEastern Bonelli's WarblerPhylloscopus orientalisBuff-barred WarblerBuff-barred WarblerPhylloscopus pulcherAshy-throated WarblerAshy-throated WarblerPhylloscopus maculipennisHume's Leaf WarblerHume's Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus humeiYellow-browed WarblerYellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatusBrooks's Leaf WarblerBrooks's Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus subviridisChinese Leaf WarblerChinese Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus yunnanensisSichuan Leaf WarblerSichuan Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus forrestiGansu Leaf WarblerGansu Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus kansuensisPallas's Leaf WarblerPallas's Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus proregulus
Lemon-rumped Warbler

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Muhammad Ayaz Mahmood. ↗

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