Two-barred Greenish Warbler

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Two-barred Greenish Warbler in the UK

A very rare vagrant from eastern Siberia, Mongolia and north-east China, on the British List in Category A. The first was on Gugh, Isles of Scilly, in October 1987. Three more followed by 2006, in Norfolk, on Scilly and in Yorkshire, then none for a decade. Since 2016 it has turned up in most autumns, though the total is still very small and every claim is assessed by the national rarities committee. It was long treated as a race of Greenish Warbler. Many books and websites now call it Two-barred Warbler.

Where and when to see a Two-barred Greenish Warbler

Almost every record has been between late September and late October, on the coast. Yorkshire has done best, with birds at Filey, Spurn, Flamborough Head and Whitby. Others have been on Scilly and in Norfolk, Suffolk, Dorset, Northumberland, Orkney and Shetland. Look in sycamores, sallows and coastal scrub after easterly winds, in the same falls that bring Yellow-browed Warblers. Birds are usually found by an observer who hears an odd call or notices an extra wingbar. Most stay one to five days.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Coastal scrub (very rare).
Diet: Insects.
Field note: Two pale wing-bars.

How to identify a Two-barred Greenish Warbler

The size of a Chiffchaff, and very like a Greenish Warbler: greenish above, whitish below, with a long pale eyebrow. The difference is in the wing. Two-barred has a broad, long, white bar on the greater coverts that runs the full width of the wing, plus a second, shorter bar on the median coverts. Greenish has one narrow bar and at most a trace of a second. The tertials are plain, without the white edges of a Yellow-browed. Photos of the wing and a recording of the call are usually needed for acceptance.

Call and song

The call is the best clue: a loud, sparrow-like 'chi-li-wee', often with three syllables, where Greenish usually gives two. It calls often while feeding. Record it on a phone if you can. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Greenish Warbler: Greenish has a single thin wingbar that fades towards the body, with the second bar faint or absent, and a two-note call.
• Yellow-browed Warbler: Yellow-browed is smaller with white-edged tertials, dark borders to its two wingbars and a rising 'tsoo-eest' call.
• Arctic Warbler: Arctic is larger and longer-winged with a stouter bill, pale legs, an eyebrow that stops short of the bill and a hard 'dzik' call.

Related guide Rare birds in the UK.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Two-barred Greenish Warbler is a Legendary tier bird, worth +50 points when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Eastern Crowned WarblerLegendary · Coastal scrub (very rare)
• Radde's WarblerEpic · Coastal scrub (rare)
• Eastern Bonelli's WarblerLegendary · Oak woods (very rare)
• Green WarblerLegendary · Coastal scrub (extreme vagrant)
• Western Crowned WarblerLegendary · Coastal scrub (extreme vagrant)
• Arctic WarblerRare · Coastal scrub (vagrant)

Two-barred Greenish Warbler: quick answers

Has a Two-barred Greenish Warbler ever been seen in the UK?

Yes. The first was on Scilly in 1987 and there have been a small number since, with a clear increase from 2016. One on Foula, Shetland, in late May 2017 is the only spring record.

What is the difference between Two-barred Greenish Warbler and Greenish Warbler?

Two-barred has two wingbars, the main one broad and long, and often a three-note call. Greenish has one narrow bar and a two-note call. Worn Greenish Warblers and fresh Arctic Warblers can both suggest it, so records need photos and sound recordings.

When is the best time to see Two-barred Greenish Warbler?

The first three weeks of October, on the east coast or Scilly, after a spell of easterlies from Siberia. Even then it is a once-in-several-years find for most birders. Working through every Yellow-browed Warbler flock is how they are found.

Kit that helps

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