Japanese Name: Ezo-mushikui

English Name : Sakhalin Leaf Warbler or Eastern Pale-legged Leaf Warbler
Scientific Name : Phylloscopus borealoides

Ezo-mushikui had once treated as Pale-legged Leaf Warbler P. tenellipes, a monotypic species with continental populations (Hachisuka et al. 1932, Yamashina 1941, Kiyosu 1952). In even recent years, some publications treates still Ezo-mushikui as P. tenellipes (The Ornithological Society of Japan 1974, Committee for Check-list of Japanese Birds 1997).
But some ornithologists (for example Baker 1997) splited P. tenellipes into two subspecies; nominate and ssp. borealoides. Furtheremore, recently, both taxa are usually treated two separated species (Monroe and Sibley 1993, Clements 2000, Committee for Check-list of Japanese Birds 2000, Dickinson 2003). As some publications and websites can confuse wih both taxa, so be carefully well when you read them.
Pale-legged Leaf Warbler breeds in Asian continent, and Sakhalin Leaf Warbler breeds in Sakhalin, northern Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku) and the southern Kurile Is.

The published record of Pale-legged Leaf Warbler is only one (on Tsushima on 6 May 2000) in Japan. This record was described about only species name, date and location without details and photos. However, there is some records of it in spring in norhern Kyushu. The song of both species are very different from each other. Sakhalin's song is simple clear three-noted and repeated 'hee-tsoo-kee', while Pale-legged's song is thin, very like Asian Stubtail, Urosephena squameiceps, 'see-see-see-see-si-si-sit-si' (Nial Moores pers. comm.). Both calls and plumages are also rather different (see Kantori Lode )


References:
1) Baker, K. 1997. Warblers of Europe, Asia and North Africa. Christopher Helm, London.
2) Clements, J. F. 2000. Birds of the World: A Cheklist. Ibis, CA.
3) Committee for Check-list of Japanese Birds 1997. List of Japanese Birds. Japanese Journal of Ornithology 46(1): 59-91.(in Japanese)
4) Committee for Check-list of Japanese Birds (eds) 2000. Check-list of Japanese Birds. 6th revised edition. The Ornithological Society of Japan, Hokkaido.(in Japanese and English)
5) Hachisuka, M., Kuroda, N., Takatsukasa, N. Uchida, S. Yamashina, Y (eds.) 1932. A Hand-list of the Japanese Birds, revised. The Ornithological Society of Japan, Tokyo. (in Japanese and English)
6) Dickinson, E. C. (ed) 2003. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Revised and Enlarged 3rd Edition. Christopher Helm, London.
7) Kiyosu, Y. 1952. Nihon cyourui daizukan [Handbook of Japanese Birds]. Kodan-sha, Tokyo. (in Japanese)
8) Monroe, B. L. and Sibley, C. G. 1993. A World Checklist of Birds. Yale Univ. Press, New Haven.
9)The Ornithological Society of Japan 1974. Check-list of Japanese Birds. 5th and revised edition. Gakken, Tokyo.
10) Yamashina, Y. A Narural History of Japanese Birds. Iwanami-syoten, Tokyo.(in Japanese)

1. 22th May 1996
Wajima-shi, Isikawa Prefecture

Colour of the top of the head is contrastive darker than mantle. The supercilium of this bird is long, but often does not reach the nostrils. It has one or two wing bars, but can be indistictively in worn plumages. The colour of upperparts is said that the most brownish among the Japanese commonest three Phylloscopus (Sakhalin, Arctic and Eastern Crowned), However its colour seemes to be variously and the differences in upperpart coloration are hardly to the colour-weaker (as me). Many of Japanese field guides describe that note the colour of upperparts, but I think it is rather unuseful.

Arctic Warbler has no contrast of colours between the top of the head and the mantle. Primary projection is slightly shorter than Arctic Warbler.
Distinguish from Eastern Crowned Warbler by whitish under tail coverts , the dark spot on the lower mandible and the lack of median crown stripe. However, the median crown stripe of Eastern Crowned Warbler is sometimes rather indistictively in a front view.
2. 21th May 1996
Wajima-shi, Isikawa Prefecture

This birds might be moulting. Some of primaries(or/and secondaries) looks to be lacked. Some of the outer primaries was renewed and may be growing.
The underparts is more whitish (especially on the under tail coverts) than Arctic and Eastern Crowned Warbler.
I think that the first impression can most similar with Arctic Warbler in Japan. But the supercilium is usually thiner in front of eye and never cut sharply. And the supercilium is rather whitish (usually buffish in Arctic).
The bill is slightly thicker than Arctic Warbler. Comperaring with the Eastern Crowned Warbler, the bill is shorter and thicker. The legs is pale.
The tip of the lower mandible is dark.
3. 22th May 1996
Wajima-shi, Isikawa Prefecture

Sakhalin Leaf Warbler is rather smaller than Arctic and Eastern Crowned Warbler but its character is often indistictively in field.
The call is metalic sound of "pit", rather similar to Daurian Redstart's call, especially in long distance.
inserted by FC2 system