Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler (Helopsaltes ochotensis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler

Helopsaltes ochotensis (Middendorff, 1853)

16 cmLength18 gWeight

This small warbler has a gray-brown crown and nape, a pale cream supercilium and a white tail tip.

Busiest months: May and October · Most records: China, Philippines, Japan

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Pale cream supercilium extending to the ear-coverts
  2. Crown, nape, lores and eyestripe gray-brown
  3. Upper back more rufous, with an olive tone
  4. Graduated white-tipped tail, appearing rounded

Voice

High-pitched, well-spaced “chit, chit”, followed by a trill, “trrrrrrrr-schoy-schoy-schoy”.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May and October · Most records: China, Philippines, Japan

Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler has been recorded at 136 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 6 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)206 records
  2. Candaba MarshPhilippines184 records
  3. Bislig lowlands – Old AirportPhilippines136 records
More places
  1. San Isidro River, Brgy. San Roque, San PedroPhilippines130 records
  2. Kaohsiung – Qijin VTC TowerTaiwan (China)124 records
  3. Guandu IBA – Guandu EmbankmentTaiwan (China)115 records
  4. Yilan – Dingliao Ecological ParkTaiwan (China)113 records
  5. Zhu'an IBA – Diaobie PondsTaiwan (China)91 records
  6. Guandu IBATaiwan (China)90 records
  7. Zhu'an IBA – XiapuTaiwan (China)80 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ChinaPhilippinesJapanUnited StatesSouth KoreaMalaysia

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

About

Middendorff's grasshopper warbler (Helopsaltes ochotensis) is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler?

The Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler is about 16 cm long and weighs around 18 g.

Where does the Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: far eastern Russia and northern Japan. It is most often recorded in China, Philippines and Japan.

When is the best time to see the Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler?

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

Is the Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler as Least Concern.

What does the Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler in?

It belongs to the family Grassbirds & Allies (Locustellidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
16 cm
Weight
18 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Varied
Migration
Migratory
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
70 mm
Tail
58 mm
Bill
16 mm
Tarsus
24 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: far eastern Russia and northern Japan

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Grassbirds & Allies Locustellidae
Genus
Helopsaltes

Other birds in the genus Helopsaltes

Gray's Grasshopper WarblerGray's Grasshopper WarblerHelopsaltes fasciolatusSakhalin Grasshopper WarblerSakhalin Grasshopper WarblerHelopsaltes amnicolaMarsh GrassbirdMarsh GrassbirdHelopsaltes pryeriPallas's Grasshopper WarblerPallas's Grasshopper WarblerHelopsaltes certhiolaStyan's Grasshopper WarblerStyan's Grasshopper WarblerHelopsaltes pleskeiCordillera Ground WarblerCordillera Ground WarblerRobsonius raboriSierra Madre Ground WarblerSierra Madre Ground WarblerRobsonius thompsoniBicol Ground WarblerBicol Ground WarblerRobsonius sorsogonensisLanceolated WarblerLanceolated WarblerLocustella lanceolataBamboo WarblerBamboo WarblerLocustella alfredi
Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler

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

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