ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

**Yellow-browed Warbler**
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The Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) is a small, insectivorous bird that breeds in the eastern Palearctic. It belongs to the family Phylloscopidae, formerly included in the Old World warbler assemblage.

**Taxonomy and Distribution**
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The Yellow-browed Warbler was first described by Edward Blyth in 1842 and given the binomial name Regulus inornatus. The species is now recognized as a separate entity from Hume's Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus mandelli). The bird's distribution ranges from the middle and upper course of the Peciora River and the Ural Mountains eastward to Siberia, northern Mongolia, and north-east China.

**Physical Characteristics**
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The Yellow-browed Warbler is a small bird, measuring 10-11 cm in length and weighing between 4.3-6.5 g. The sexes are similar, with no distinct differences after plumage maturity. The bird has a distinctive greenish upperparts and white underparts, with yellow-open striations on the sides of its body. Its eyebrows are light-yellow or yellowish-white, extending from the base of the upper jaw to the back of the neck.

**Behavior and Diet**
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The Yellow-browed Warbler is an insectivorous bird that feeds mainly on small invertebrates, such as insects, spiders, ticks, crustaceans, and small molluscs. It also consumes small seeds. The bird is active and agile when foraging for food, often moving fast to catch insects that pass by. It glides and grabs insects from the edges of leaves.

The Yellow-browed Warbler is a territorial species, but it can also be semi-colonial. During the breeding season, which takes place in June, males establish territories and engage in territorial displays. The female builds a nest on the ground beneath the roots of trees, using materials such as dried herbs, pine needles, muscles, rotting wood bands, fine vegetable fibers, and animal hair.

**Migration and Wintering**
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The Yellow-browed Warbler is a migratory bird that winters in the north-east Indian sub-continent, due east to southeast Asia, and Taiwan. It regularly roams the autumn in small numbers to the west, occasionally appearing in Europe from mid-September to late October.

**Conservation Status**
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There is no specific information on the conservation status of the Yellow-browed Warbler.

**References**
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* Blyth, E. (1842). "Regulus inornatus". Zoological Journal.
* Olsson, U. (1988). "Taxonomy of Yellow-browed Warblers" (Diskonomiya ng mga Manunukong may Gulang na Buso).
* Ernst, S. (1996): Zweiter Beitrag zur Vogelwelt des Östlichen Altai ["Two contribution regarding the avifauna of the Sayan Mountains"].
* Inskipp, Carol; Inskipp, Tim & Sherub (2000): The ornithological importance of Thrumshingla National Park, Bhutan.
* Irwin, D.E.; Alström, Per; Z.M. (2001). "Cryptic species in the genus Phylloscopus (Old World leaf warblers)".
* Knox, Alan G.; Helbig, Andreas J.; Parkin, David T. (2002): "Taxonomic recommendations for European birds".
* Sherub (1993): Identification of Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler.