Watch out for the Yakut willow warbler

Abstract

In the thirties, Ticehurst described a subspecies of Willow Warbler from eastern Siberia, Phylloscopus trochilus yakutensis. Although the subspecies has been identified on its winter grounds in eastern and southern Africa, little work seems to have been done on its migratory behaviour and breeding biology. The most recent guide to Soviet birds (FIint, et al. 1984)does not deal with this subspecies at all, confining its treatment to the binomial taxon Phylloscopus trochilus. There are no European records. This short note reports a sight record from Malta" One bird was seen in the company of Wood Warblers (P. sibilatrix) at San Anton gardens on the 28th, 29th an 30 April 1987. The Rarities committee of the Malta Ornithological Society does not usually consider records of subspecies, and the record was not accepted formally. Nevertheless, it was transcribed in the records of the Committee. A similar bird was seen at San Anton gardens on 8 April 1980, again in the company of Wood warblers, but it was not identified at the time and was never submitted to the Rarities committee.b