The Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler, Locustella certhiola, is an Old World
warbler in the grass warbler genus Locustella. It breeds in east Asia.
It is migratory, wintering from India east to
 Indonesia.
This small passerine bird is a species found in tall grass with some
thicker vegetation, usually close to water in bogs or wet meadows. From
4 to 7 eggs are laid in a nest on the ground in grass. This species is a
very rare vagrant to western Europe. One of the best places to see this
skulking species as a vagrant is Fair Isle, Shetland; for a species that
only rarely appears in western Europe, it can be found there with some
regularity. This has made it a popular species among UK "twitchers" in
whose jargon it is known as "PG Tips".
This is a medium-sized warbler. The adult has a streaked brown back,
whitish grey underparts, unstreaked except on the undertail. The sexes
are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are yellower
below. Like most warblers, it is insectivorous. It is very similar to
the Grasshopper Warbler, but is slightly larger, has white tips to the
tail and tertial feathers, and a warmer brown rump.
This is a skulky species which is very difficult to see except
sometimes when singing. It creeps through grass and low foliage.
The song is not the mechanical insect-like reeling produced by the
Grasshopper Warbler and some other Locustella warblers, but an inventive
Acrocephalus-like melody. |
