Overview

Middendorf's Grasshopper Warbler: Medium warbler, rust-brown upperparts, dark brown rump, white underparts with brown wash on lower breast, sides. Throat and eye brows are white. Tail is short and white-tipped. Legs and feet are orange. Alternates rapid wing beats with wings tucked to sides.

Middendorff's Grasshopper-Warbler: This species is endemic to Asia. Individuals stray west and breed in the western Aleutian Islands and other islands in the Bering Sea and off the western coast of Alaska. These birds prefer dense vegetation and they prefer to remain concealed in thick grass and shrubs.

Voice Text

"veechee-veechee-veechee"

• The Middendorff's Grasshopper-Warbler is named for its song, which sounds like a grasshopper.
• They are difficult to observe because they prefer to skulk in dense vegetation and remain concealed in dense shrubs and grasses.
• A group of warblers has many collective nouns, including a "bouquet", "confusion", "fall", and "wrench" of warblers.

• Arctic Warbler
• Lanceolated Warbler

Grassbirds (Locustellidae)

ORDER

The one hundred forty-two families in the taxonomic order PASSERIFORMES (pronounced pas-ser-i-FOR-meez) include a variety of small perching birds such as the kinglets as well as large birds such as the crows and jays.

FAMILY TAXONOMY

In the Locustellidae (pronounced meg-ah-lur-EYE-uh-dee) family there are sixty-one species in eleven genera, two of which have occurred in the United States.

SOUTH PACIFIC-PALAU

Two species of grassbirds in two genera occur in the South Pacific. One species in one genus, the Lanceolated Warbler, occurs as a migrant in Palau.

NORTH AMERICA

In North America, two species in one genera of the Locustellidae family have occurred. The Middendorff’s Grasshopper-Warbler and the Lanceolated Warbler are both Asian species which have been spotted in the Aleutians and a few other places.

KNOWN FOR

Grassbirds are often found in scrubland and forage on the ground and in undergrowth.

PHYSICAL

Members of the Locustellidae are small birds with long tails that are usually pointed.

COLORATION

Grassbirds are mostly brown and buff, many also have streaked wings or underparts.

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

Grassbirds are found primarily in scrubland across Eurasia, Africa, and Australia.

MIGRATION

Some birds are migratory and vagrants have appeared in Western Europe and the Aleutian islands.

HABITS

Members of the Locustellidae forage for invertebrates by gleaning them from the vegetation of trees and bushes. Many skulk low in underbrush, and creep through grass and scrub.

CONSERVATION

While some species are listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, others such as the Sri Lanka Bush Warbler is considered Near Threatened due to its small range and loss of habitat.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Locustellidae family was formerly placed in the Old World Warblers family. It is also sometimes known as the Megaluridae family.

Author

Artist

Michael Oberhofer