Willow Warbler

Willow warbler (Scientific name: Phylloscopus trochilus) is one of the longest migrating small bird, usually seen in European and Palearctic regions. These birds breed all over the northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic.

Paleartic is an ecozone i.e. the largest scale biogeographic division of the surface of Earth. Paleartic is the largest ecozone including northern Africa, the terrestrial ecoregions of Europe, northern and central parts of the Arabian Peninsula and Asia north of the Himalayan foothills.

Key Points

• The bird weighing around 10 gm have long wing feathers to migrate a long distance, usually to sub Saharan Africa during early winter.
• The birds are usually very difficult to identify pertaining to their small size and change in feathers twice a year.
• The birds have the highest population densities in Scandinavia region, with a total population of 24 million pairs in Sweden and Finland.

Willow Warbler Spotted in Kerala

The rare-to-spot bird was recently found in the Vellayani-Punchakkari Paddy Fields of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It is the first Willow warbler spotted in India. It is also the 18th warbler bird and 533rd species of bird to be recorded from the State. Blyth’s Reed Warbler and Clamorous Reed Warbler are commonly found in the Punchakkari wetlands. As of now, 7 species of Willow warbler have been recorded in Vellayani-Punchakkari Paddy Fields which has over 213 species of birds including migratory and resident birds.