The Himalayas, is a mountain range which separates the Great Indian Plains from the Tibetan Plateau. This range is home to nine of the ten highest peaks on the Earth, including the highest, Mount Everest. The abrupt rise of the Himalayan Mountains from less than 500 meters to more than 8,000 meters in a few hundred kilometers has resulted in a huge diversity of flora and fauna. Nearly 1000 birds have been recorded in the Himalayas of which 15 species are fully endemic.

Mendell's leaf warbler is an allopatric speciation of Hume's warbler (Phylloscopus humei). It occurs on the eastern Tibetan Plateau and migrates over the Himalayas to winter in India and adjacent regions. The species has also been recorded in the Kutch region. This bird is not shy, although its arboreal lifestyle and cryptic colours make it difficult to observe. It is constancy in motion. Like most “Old World warblers", this small passerine is insectivorous. The nest is built on the ground.

IUCN Status: Least Concern (LC) Photo: Dibyendu Ash