Plumage Distinct whitish supercilium and thin dark eyestripe. 
Upperparts grey with a visible pale wing panel. Tail feathers darker 
grey in comparison to the rest of the upperparts. Whilst difficult to 
discern, the white outertail feathers were noted on several occasions. 
Underparts whitish, except for the underside of the tail, which was 
grey. 
Bare parts Relatively long, thick bill: upper mandible grey, lower 
mandible flesh coloured. Eye dark with a distinct pale eye ring. Legs 
grey with some flesh tones. 
Behaviour An active feeder, although appearing relatively sluggish in 
comparison to the other two warblers nearby. It exhibited the charac- 
teristic tail wagging movement of Upcher's Warbler (Fry 1990). This 
tail movement was very different from that of Olivaceous Warbler, 
which is less conspicuous and more of a flicking motion. 
Voice Call frequently repeated, similar to Olivaceous, and not unlike 
that of Lesser Whitethroat, but louder. 
Upcher's Warblers passing through Egypt are presumably from Near 
Eastern populations breeding in Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey; 
and wintering in east Africa. In Israel the species is also recorded as a 
passage migrant: in early autumji between July- August and in late 
spring from the end of April to early May (Paz 1987). It is also regu- 
larly recorded on migration in eastern Arabia, but this probably con- 
stitutes birds from breeding populations further east. It is to be 
expected that some Upcher's Warblers migrate through Egypt, given 
the country's strategic location on Western Palearctic migration 
routes. In the past the species has probably been overlooked due to a 
lack of observers and difficulties with identification. 
Acknowledgements 
We would like to thank Andrew Grieve who supplied a description of 
Upcher's Warbler and reviewed the first draft of this article. Special thanks to 
Ahmed Riad for providing additional information. 
References 
Anon (1990) Western Palearctic News. Biniing World 4:307-308. 
Anon (1991) Western Palearctic News. Birding World 5:181-183. 
Fry, H. (1990) Foraging behaviour and identification of Upcher's Warbler. 
Brit. Birds 83:217-221. 
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