Phylloscopus magnirostris
Silhouette: Jiekun He · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The large-billed leaf warbler (Phylloscopus magnirostris) is a species of migratory leaf warbler (family Phylloscopidae) found in Asia. This is a somewhat large leaf warbler with a single wing bar and a prominent yellowish-whitesupercilium. A contrasting broad and dark eye stripe extending behind the eye, a large darkish upper mandible and a distinctive call set it apart from most other leaf warblers in its range. It has a dark crown and greyish ear-coverts. It can be confused with an Arctic warbler.
Breeding in central China and the Himalayas, it winters in Sri Lanka, the Western Ghats and associated hill ranges. It is found in dense vegetation. It has also been observed in urban areas on occasion. It is more often heard than seen. The two note dir-tee call with the second note much higher is distinctive. Another call is a single faint note followed by a series of paired-notes descending evenly. They call often and at regular intervals. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Jiuzhaigou National Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 5 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 7 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 8 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 9 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 11 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 13 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 14 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large-billed Leaf-Warbler sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 245 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 72nd most-seen of the 156 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Large-billed Leaf-Warbler in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in April to September, the lowest months. That is one of Sinharaja Forest Reserve's wettest months, with about 490 mm of rain against 150 mm in March.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Large-billed Leaf-Warbler sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
4th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Large-billed Leaf-Warbler sightings, Sinharaja Forest Reserve ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Horton Plains National Park (Sri Lanka, about 20%), Periyar National Park (India, about 20%) and Jiuzhaigou National Park (China, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Large-billed Leaf-Warbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (245 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
