Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler

Helopsaltes certhiola (Pallas, 1811)

≈13 cmLength14 gWeight

This rufous warbler creeps through grass and is difficult to see.

Busiest months: December–January · Most records: Thailand, China, India

Looks like Common Grasshopper Warbler

How to identify

Field marks

Back rufous with stripes
Belly grayish-white, with stripes only beneath the tail
White tips to tail feathers and tertials
Rufous rump, warmer than in Common Grasshopper Warbler

Male, female and young

Sexes alike; juvenile has a yellowish belly.

Voice

The song is a varied melody like that of a reed warbler, rather than a mechanical insect-like sound.

Similar species

Common Grasshopper Warbler

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler is slightly larger, with white tips to the tail feathers and tertials and a warmer rufous rump.

Where and when it's recorded

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler has been recorded at 446 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 24 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Baruipur MarshesIndia735 records
Lat Krabang – Thap Yao paddies & aquaculture pondsThailand415 records
Mai Po NR – #8b ReedbedHong Kong (China)322 records

More places

Kranji MarshSingapore317 records
Muravyevka ParkRussia297 records
Khurkh Bird Ringing Station, Khentii, MNMongolia266 records
Mai Po NR #8b Reedbed RingingHong Kong (China)245 records
Hun Sen BoulevardCambodia236 records
Maguri BeelIndia182 records
Man Nai IslandThailand175 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Thailand China India Singapore Cambodia Mongolia Malaysia Russia

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

Pallas's grasshopper warbler (Helopsaltes certhiola), also known as the rusty-rumped warbler, is an Old World warbler in the genus Helopsaltes. It breeds in the eastern Palearctic: from the Altai Mountains, Mongolia and Transbaikalia to northeastern China, the Korean Peninsula, and islands in the Sea of Okhotsk (Sakhalin and Kuril Islands). It is migratory, wintering from India eastward to Indonesia.

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

Questions

How big is the Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler?

The Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler is about ≈13 cm long and weighs around 14 g.

Where does the Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: eastern. It is most often recorded in Thailand, China and India.

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

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

What does the Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler in?

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

At a glance

Length: ≈13 cm
Weight: 14 g
Habitat: Shrubland
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Migratory

More measurements

Wing: 61 mm
Tail: 54 mm
Bill: 14 mm
Tarsus: 21 mm

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

Range

Palearctic: eastern

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 3

Helopsaltes certhiola certhiola se Siberia (Transbaikalia), e Mongolia and nc China | non-breeding: to se Asia
Helopsaltes certhiola centralasiae e Kazakhstan and ne Kyrgyzstan to w China | non-breeding: poorly known
Helopsaltes certhiola minor se Siberia (Amurland) and ne China | non-breeding: to se Asia