L 9-10½ cm. Rare visitor from Siberian taiga; most records in late Sep-Oct in trees and scrub along coasts. Agile and restless, frequently flicks its wings. Often associates with other Phylloscopus warblers and Goldcrests.
IDENTIFICATION: Often first attracts attention by its call. Smaller than Chiffchaff, with quicker action. Greyish-green above, off-white below, legs medium brown. Long and very prominent supercilium pale yellow above dark eye-stripe. Broad yellowish-white wing-bar on tips of greater coverts, and a shorter, less conspicuous second bar on tips of median coverts. Tertials (esp. shorter two) edged yellowish-white, which eliminates Greenish Warbler. Sides of crown can be a shade darker grey-green, often giving a hint of a pale crown-stripe, esp. on hindcrown. (Cf. Hume’s Leaf Warbler.)
VOICE: Vocal. Commonest call a loud, penetrating, high-pitched ‘sweest’ or ‘tsoeest’, the quality of the call often recalling Coal Tit, though higherpitched and more clearly rising. Song a few hesitant, very fine notes, ‘tsewee, sesewee...sewees’ (somewhat recalling Hazel Grouse).