OSME - Dusky Warbler in Egypt

The first Dusky Warbler
Phylloscopus fuscatus in Egypt

MINDY BAHA EL DIN

ON the afternoon of 12 October 1988 whilst birdwatching at Nama Bay, north-east of Sharm el Sheikh, South Sinai, I heard an unusual call emanating from an Acacia grove. Upon closer approach I located a dark brown Phylloscopus warbler foraging on the ground. Based on the voice and behaviour, I immediately recognised the bird as a Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus, a Siberian vagrant which I had seen on two occasions in the United Kingdom. The following morning I vide otaped the bird and although unable to obtain close footage, the five minute recording captured its distinctive behaviour and call. The tape was subsequently shown to a number of colleagues with experience of the species, who were able to confirm the identification.

Structure and size. A phylloscopus warbler similar in size and shape to Chiffchaff P. collybita, but smaller than Radde's Warbler P. schwarzi, which has a proportionately longer head and body. Posture appeared hunched and neckless as described by Madge (1990).
Plumage. Prominent buff supercilia and dark eyestripe extending well behind the eye. Dark brown upperparts. Underparts buff with a warm rusty wash on the breast sides, flanks and undertail coverts.
Bare parts. Dark pink legs, longer than in Chiffchaff. Bill fine, unlike the stout bill of Radde's Warbler. Upper mandible grey-black. Lower mandible visibly paler (yellowish).
Behaviour. Very active. Kept to the ground, only perching in bushes when disturbed. Constantly flicked its tail and wings nervously as it hopped along the ground. Wings had a distinct drooped appearance and tail was held slightly cocked.
Voice. Extremely vocal, frequently uttering a loud, harsh "chek" as it flicked its wings and tail.

This individual is the first record of the species in Egypt (see Rosenzweig 1989). Goodman & Meininger (1989) knew of no previous occurrences. The species breeds from Siberia to China, wintering in India, south China and south-east Asia (Lewington et al. 1991). It is a rare autumn vagrant to Europe with e.g. 154 in the United Kingdom by the end of 1994 (Rogers et al. 1995) and 15 in the Netherlands by the end of 1993 (Wiegant et al. 1995). Hollom et al. (1988) list Dusky Warbler as an accidental in Morocco and Yemen. East Asian vagrants are now regularly recorded at nearby Eilat (Israel) during migration periods and occasionally reach Sharm el Sheikh, especially in autumn (e.g. Rufous Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis, Yellow-breasted Emberiza aureola and Little Buntings E. pusilla).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I thank my husband, Sherif, for his constant encouragement and invaluable advice.

REFERENCES
GOODMAN, S. M. AND MEININGER, P. L. (eds) (1989) The birds of Egypt. Oxford University Press.
HOLLOM, P. A. D, PORTER, R. F., CHRISTENSEN, S. AND WILLIS, I. (1988) Birds of the Middle East and North Africa. T. & A. D. Poyser, Calton.
LEWINGTON, I., ALSTÖM, P. AND COLSTON, P. (1991) A field guide to the rare birds of Britain and Europe. HarperCollins, London.
MADGE, S. (1990) Separating Radde's and Dusky Warblers. Birding World 3 (8): 281-285.
ROGERS, M. J. AND THE RARITIES COMMITTEE (1995) Report on rare birds in Great Britain in 1994. Brit. Birds 88 (11): 493-558.
ROSENZWEIG, M. (1989) Birdwatching in the Sinai. Orn. Soc. Middle East Bull. 22: 10-19.
WIEGANT, W. M., STEINHAUS, G.H. AND CDNA (1995) Rare birds in the Netherlands in 1993. Dutch Birding 17 (3): 89-101.

Mindy Baha el Din, 4 Ismail El Mazni St., Apt. 8, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt.

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