Lemon-throated leaf warbler

The lemon-throated leaf warbler (Phylloscopus cebuensis) is a species of Old World warbler in the family Phylloscopidae. It is endemic to the Philippines found on the islands of Luzon, Negros and Cebu.

Lemon-throated leaf warbler
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Phylloscopidae
Genus:	Phylloscopus
Species:	P. cebuensis
Binomial name
Phylloscopus cebuensis (Dubois, 1900)

Description and taxonomy

EBird describes the bird as "A small bird of forest and edge from the lowlands to middle elevations in the mountains. Olive-green on the back and golden-olive on the wings and tail, with a dark crown and eye-stripe. Has a pale belly, a lemon-yellow throat and eyebrow, and yellow under the base of the tail. Note the dark legs and bicolored bill, dark above and orange below. Similar to Philippine Leaf Warbler, but has a pale yellow throat. Differs from Arctic-type warblers in lacking any wingbars. Song consists of varied high-pitched whistles interspersed with staccato trills.^[2]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized:

• P. c. cebuensis — Found on Negros and Cebu
• P. c. sorsogonensis — Found on Bicol Peninsula
• P. c. luzonensis — Found on Luzon except the Bicol Peninsula^[3][4]

Ecology and behavior

Feeds on small insects. Forages alone or joins mixed-species foraging flocks finding insects from the foliage.

Breeds from March to June but otherwise no information is known about its breeding habits and nest. ^[5]

Habitat and conservation status

Its natural habitats at tropical moist lowland primary forest and secondary forest up to 1,800 meters above sea level.

The IUCN Red List has assessed this bird as least-concern species although it is poorly known. More studies are recommended to better understand this species, population and conservation status. ^[6][7]