The Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) is a small leaf warbler that breeds from Sweden eastward across Asia to western China, recognisable by its grey-green upperparts, dirty-white underparts and a long, clear pale supercilium paired with a single narrow, pale wingbar. At 10–11 cm long, with a wingspan of roughly 15–21 cm and a weight of just 6–9 grams, it is similar in shape to the Chiffchaff but more compact and shorter-tailed, with dark legs.
Its song is short but distinctive — an accelerating, ringing trill often rendered as "tse-vee-vee-vee-vit" — while the call is a two-syllable, slightly whining "tsi-vissp". The species nests on or very close to the ground, building a domed nest with a side entrance hidden among roots or on a slope, where the female lays 4–6 eggs; because it arrives late in the season, it usually manages only a single brood before migrating. A relatively recent coloniser of Sweden, it now breeds in the southern and central parts of the country, with a population estimated at 500–2,000 pairs that has grown sharply since colonisation began — though this newness keeps it classed as near threatened nationally despite being globally secure. It forages restlessly and often high in the canopy, feeding on insects and spiders picked from leaves and twigs.
Read about this species in Swedish →