Taiwan Bush Warbler (Locustella alishanensis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Taiwan Bush Warbler

Locustella alishanensis (Rasmussen, Round, Dickinson & Rozendaal, 2000)

10–14 cmLength10 gWeight

This small bird of grassy areas in the mountains has a rusty-brown back and telegraph-like calls in the breeding season, earning it the nickname “telegraph bird”.

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: China

Looks like Russet Bush Warbler

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Back rusty-brown with olive tones
  2. Supercilium pale yellow
  3. Some individuals have streaks or spots on the pale throat
  4. Bill thin and black; long tail; slender legs and feet

Male, female and young

Sexes alike; chicks pale gray.

Voice

In the breeding season, it gives telegraph-like beeps followed by pairs of clicks, or repeated pairs of beeps.

Similar species

Russet Bush Warbler
Russet Bush Warbler

Behavior is very similar, but Taiwan Bush Warbler gives a monotonous whistle followed by 3–4 clicks, unlike the nasal metallic vocalization of Russet Bush Warbler.

Where and when it's recorded

Taiwan Bush Warbler has been recorded at 19 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Dasyueshan IBA – Xiaoxueshan Lodge (50K)Taiwan (China)639 records
  2. Yushan NP – TatakaTaiwan (China)383 records
  3. Nantou – Xitou Nature Education AreaTaiwan (China)126 records
More places
  1. Nantou – Meifeng Highland Experimental Farm of NTUTaiwan (China)54 records
  2. Dasyueshan IBA – Hengliu Creek (15K)Taiwan (China)12 records
  3. Yilan – Nan'ao River Mouth South BankTaiwan (China)6 records
  4. Hualien River Estuary IBATaiwan (China)6 records
  5. Hualien – Fenglin BeilinTaiwan (China)5 records
  6. Nantou – Puli LanchengTaiwan (China)4 records
  7. Yilan – Nan'ao ChaoyangTaiwan (China)4 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China

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

The Taiwan (China) bush warbler (Locustella alishanensis) is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae. It is found only in Taiwan (China). Its natural habitat is undergrowth and grassland 1,200–3,000 m (3,900–9,800 ft) in elevation.

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

Questions

How big is the Taiwan Bush Warbler?

The Taiwan Bush Warbler is about 10–14 cm long and weighs around 10 g.

Where does the Taiwan Bush Warbler live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Taiwan (China). It is most often recorded in China.

When is the best time to see the Taiwan Bush Warbler?

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

Is the Taiwan Bush Warbler endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Taiwan Bush Warbler as Least Concern.

What does the Taiwan Bush Warbler eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Taiwan Bush Warbler in?

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

At a glance

Length
10–14 cm
Weight
10 g
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Varied
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
54 mm
Tail
58 mm
Bill
14 mm
Tarsus
20 mm

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

Range

Oriental: Taiwan (China)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Grassbirds & Allies Locustellidae
Genus
Locustella

Other birds in the genus Locustella

Lanceolated WarblerLanceolated WarblerLocustella lanceolataBamboo WarblerBamboo WarblerLocustella alfrediRiver WarblerRiver WarblerLocustella fluviatilisSavi's WarblerSavi's WarblerLocustella luscinioidesLong-billed Bush WarblerLong-billed Bush WarblerLocustella majorBrown Bush WarblerBrown Bush WarblerLocustella luteoventrisCommon Grasshopper WarblerCommon Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naeviaChinese Bush WarblerChinese Bush WarblerLocustella tacsanowskiaFriendly Bush WarblerFriendly Bush WarblerLocustella accentorLong-tailed Bush WarblerLong-tailed Bush WarblerLocustella caudataSulawesi Bush WarblerSulawesi Bush WarblerLocustella castaneaSeram Bush WarblerSeram Bush WarblerLocustella musculus
Taiwan Bush Warbler

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

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