Greenish / Green Warbler

[Alex Lees]

Originally Posted by LeeEvans

There is very little published on the variation and 'real' differencies in the Greenish Warbler populations and although Lars Svensson has studied all of those labelled in the trays at Tring Museum and elsewhere, he has not made any examinations of them in the field.

If you take the labels on the Tring Museum specimens to be accurate, then trochiloides which occurs in the central and east Himalayas and in central China is markedly darker green on the upperparts and quite greyish-white below and has a shorter wing length when compared with viridanus (the western form, breeding from Finland and Poland east through western Siberia to the Yenesei River, south through NW Mongolia to northern Afghanistan and the NW Himalayas, the Tian Shan mountains and the west Pamir range).

In the western Himalayas, the form ludlowi is described, this form being somewhat intermediate between the two forms above, again being a shorter distance migrant bearing a shorter wing projection, paler green above and quite olive-grey around the underparts.

There is also a much more restricted form obscuratus, occurring to the north of the nominate form in central China. Again, quite deep green on the upperparts with a very contrasting head pattern, the supercilia being notably white in many individuals.

Hi Lee

I don't think we need to involve some of the obscure taxa within 'the ring' but it would be pertinent to explore variation within viridans. I've appended the DB paper (cheers Harry) if anyone is interested....

Alex

[Johnny X]

Many thanks for posting the paper, Alex. A fascinating read.

[RoyHargreaves]

Hi Brian,

Just found this thread on here. For the record of course I don't mind you quoting me. Especially in such a complimentary context.

Cheers

Roy