Wildlife of Lao PDR: 1999 Status Report - IUCN

Wildlife of Lao PDR: 1999 Status Report
Phylloscopus subaffinis Buff-throated Warbler. Winter visitor;
north B6 . Open scrub, understorey of open pine forest, grass
and upland cultivation above 1200 m.
Phylloscopus armandii Yellow-streaked Warbler. Winter
visitor; north B2 . Thickets in open areas, undergrowth in and
near forest, scrub and fringes of upland cultivation; generally
below 1150 m. Records from prior to 1994 were reviewed
in Thewlis et al. (1996).
Phylloscopus schwarzi Radde’s Warbler. Winter visitor;
north, centre, south B2 . Dense understorey of forest and scrub,
rank grass and cultivation, also town gardens; up to at least
1540 m.
Phylloscopus pulcher Buff-barred Warbler (= Orangebarred
Leaf Warbler, ^T). Presumed resident; north B6 . Evergreen
forest above 1500 m.
Phylloscopus maculipennis Ashy-throated Warbler. Resident;
north B6 , south B14 . Evergreen forest and adjacent
regrowth provided at least some medium-stature trees are
present; above 1700 m. Records prior to 1997 were reviewed
by Thewlis et al. (1998). In view of the unlikelihood that the
species, tolerant of degradation, would be at risk, it was
dropped from the recommended list of key species.
Phylloscopus proregulus Pallas’s Leaf Warbler (= Lemonrumped
Warbler, ^Sm 2 ); (included with P. proregulus Lemonrumped
Warbler by ^K, ^Sm 1 , ^T). Winter visitor; north B13 .
Evergreen forest and secondary growth above 1000 m. Understanding
this species’s status is hampered by the difficulties
of separating it from Lemon-rumped and Chinese Leaf
Warblers in the field. It is probably a locally common winter
visitor to montane north Lao PDR. Historical specimens were
listed for Lao PDR only in the north-west by Delacour and
Jabouille (1940). Although King et al. (1975) implied that
this species-group may breed in north Lao PDR (probably
based on David-Beaulieu 1944), recent surveys have found
no evidence of this. The form kansuensis, treated as a subspecies
of P. proregulus by Inskipp et al. (1996) but perhaps
better considered a separate species, has not been recorded
from Lao PDR. Its field characters and winter range are poorly
understood and it should not be assumed not to occur in Lao
PDR.
Phylloscopus sichuanensis Chinese Leaf Warbler (not distinguished
from P. chloronotus Lemon-rumped Warbler in
most references). Winter visitor; north (historically, C. R.
Robson in litt. 1998; potentially B6 ), centre (potentially B10 ),
south (potentially B5 ). Evergreen forest, secondary growth
above 1000 m. At least one Lao specimen at NHM, Tring
(from Lo Tiao, Bokeo Province), is of this species (C. R.
Robson in litt. 1998). It has only recently been recognised as
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a species (Alström et al. 1994) and is barely possible to separate
from Lemon-rumped Warbler in the field unless it calls;
even then identification is not simple. Specimen records from
Lao PDR of P. chloronotus (e.g. David-Beaulieu 1944) may
well refer to P. sichuanensis and cannot be accepted as either
unless re-examined. Recent field observations indicate that
birds of P. chloronotus / P. sichuanensis are probably much
commoner in Lao PDR than is P. proregulus. Re-examination
of Thai specimens labelled as P. chloronotus suggests
that in Lao PDR most birds are likely to be P. sichuanensis
(PDR).
Phylloscopus inornatus Yellow-browed Warbler (included
in P. inornatus Inornate Warbler by ^K, ^Sm, ^T). Winter
visitor; north, centre, south B2 . Forest, secondary growth, villages,
towns, riverine scrub, parks and gardens from extreme
lowlands to high altitudes. Historical specimens confirm that
this is the commonest species of the P. inornatus / P. h.
mandelli pair across the country (e.g. Delacour and Jabouille
1940).
Phylloscopus humei Hume’s Warbler (included, as P. i.
mandelli, with P. inornatus Inornate Warbler by ^K, ^Sm,
^T). Winter visitor; north B8 . Evergreen forest, secondary
growth and scrub over 1000 m. Understanding this species’s
status is hampered by the difficulties of separating it from
Yellow-browed Warbler in the field. Recent field observations
suggest that it is scarce, and there may be only one
specimen record (from Lo-Tiao, Bokeo Province, in 1939;
Delacour and Jabouille 1940). On the basis of these records
and those from elsewhere in South-east Asia, it probably
occurs in Lao PDR largely or entirely in the north above 1000 m.
Phylloscopus borealis Arctic Warbler. Passage migrant,
exceptionally in winter B9 ; north B2 , south B2 . Forest and mature
regrowth, stands of trees amid open areas. Delacour and
Jabouille (1940) listed the species from central Lao PDR,
but we have not traced a primary record.
Phylloscopus trochiloides Greenish Warbler (includes P.
plumbeitarsus Two-barred Warbler as separated by ^Sm 1 , ^T).
Winter visitor; north, centre, south B2 . Evergreen forest, tall
secondary growth and other wooded areas; occasionally
towns. Recent records are largely or solely of the race P. (t.)
plumbeitarsus (often considered a separate species, see
Inskipp et al. 1996) and are largely from below 750 m. Historically
birds of P. trochiloides (s.s.) were recorded from
Xiangkhouang Province (P. t. trochiloides) and north-west
Lao PDR (P. t. obscuratus) and specimens of plumbeitarsus
were taken across Lao PDR (Delacour and Jabouille 1940).
Phylloscopus tenellipes Pale-legged Leaf Warbler. Winter
visitor; north, centre, south B2 . Evergreen forest and other
wooded areas especially near shaded pools and streams;