Common Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Rather plain medium-sized warbler: warm brown above with narrow pale spectacles, pale buffy below. Can be very difficult to separate from other reed warbler species. Most populations breed in reed or sedge beds, both pure and mixed with bushes, often wandering to adjacent scrub and thickets. “Mangrove” Reed Warbler is a resident in mangroves along the Red Sea. Non-breeding migratory birds may wind up in a wide range of habitats, from marshes to mangroves, to acacia scrub and cultivation. Often heard but can be hard to see: prolonged song much like Sedge Warbler but more even-paced and melodic, without rough and jerky phrases. Calls include a low “chuk” and rattled “chrrt.”
Identification
This is a medium-sized warbler, 13 cm (5.1 in) in length with a wing-span of 17–21 cm (6.7–8.3 in). The adult has an unstreaked brown back and buff underparts. The forehead is flattened, and the bill is strong and pointed. The sexes are identical, as with most warblers, but young birds are richer buff below. The common reed warbler looks similar to the great reed warbler, but the great reed warbler is larger in size and has a stronger supercilium.<p>The song is a slow, chattering jit-jit-jit with typically acrocephaline whistles and mimicry added.
Taxonomy
The common reed warbler was formally described in 1804 by the French naturalist Johann Hermann under the binomial name Turdus scirpaceus. The type locality is Alsace. The common reed warbler is now one of around 40 species placed in the genus Acrocephalus that was introduced by Johann Andreas Naumann and his son Johann Friedrich Naumann in 1811. The genus name Acrocephalus is from Ancient Greek akros, "highest", and kephale, "head". It is possible that the Naumanns thought akros meant "sharp-pointed". The specific scirpaceus is from Latin and means "reed".<p>Ten subspecies are recognised:<p>An older scientific name for the reed warbler was Acrocephalus streperus (Vieill.).<p>The mostly resident Iberian and African subspecies are sometimes treated as a separate species, the African reed warbler (Acrocephalus baeticatus).
- Scientific name
- Acrocephalus scirpaceus
- Authority
- (Hermann, 1804)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Acrocephalidae
- Genus
- Acrocephalus
Range and habitat
This small passerine bird is a species found almost exclusively in reed beds, usually with some bushes. They can also be found in damp scrub.
- Breeding range
- PAL, AF : Europe to c Asia, Arabian Pen., n Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa
- Non-breeding range
- c AF
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Like most warblers, it is insectivorous, but will occasionally take plant material such as berries.<p>The males return to the breeding grounds two or three weeks before the females. The species is usually monogamous. The first eggs are laid at the end of April. The nest is usually placed in vegetation over water, especially in reeds of the genus Phragmites. The deep cylindrical cup nest is sited on average 65 cm (26 in)—range is between 20 and 140 cm (7.9 and 55.1 in)—above the surface of the water and is built entirely by the female. She takes four days to build the initial cup of grass, reed stems and leaves, and another three days to complete the lining of finer material including hair. The clutch contains three to five eggs that are laid daily. The eggs are very pale green with speckles and blotches of olive green or grey. On average they measure 18.4 mm × 13.6 mm (0.72 in × 0.54 in) and weigh 1.75 g (0.06 oz). They are incubated by both parents, beginning after the penultimate egg is laid. Only the female incubates at night. The eggs hatch after 9–12 days. The nestlings are fed and cared for by both parents. They fledge after 10–12 days but continue to be fed by their parents for another 10–14 days. Up to one third of pairs raise a second brood.<p>The common reed warbler is one of the species that are brood parasitised by the common cuckoo.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Melanospiza bicolor
Small sparrowlike bird found in the Caribbean and northern South America. Males are dull olive above with a variable amount of black on the face and breast. Females are plain grayish-olive overall; note the small size, short tail, and pinkish bill and legs. Very similar to female Sooty Grassquit. Found in pairs or small groups in shrubby or grassy areas and forest edge, typically on or near the ground.
Swamp Nightjar
Caprimulgus natalensis
Medium-sized, typical nightjar with strong scaly markings on the back. Both sexes have a broad pale patch on the outer tail that is white in males and buff in females. Found in wet grassland and open savanna, including palm savanna. Song is a distinctive series of loud “chow” notes. Most similar to Square-tailed Nightjar, but has larger pale patches in the outer tail and a blackish cheek. Male Swamp Nightjar lacks a white trailing edge to the wing in flight. Also similar to Montane Nightjar, but paler, lacks rufous collar, and has little overlap in either habitat or range.
Lesser Adjutant
Leptoptilos javanicus
A large stork with a completely bare head and neck ideal for its scavenging habits. The adult’s face is red and the neck is yellow while the juvenile has a brownish head and a white, thinly-feathered neck. The upperparts are all dark while the underparts are mostly white. In flight, note the broad wings with distinctive white “armpits” and tucked in neck. Similar to the larger Greater Adjutant; Lesser has a more slender bill, has all-dark upperwings, and often adopts a more upright, less “hunched” posture. Often found in shallow marshes, fields, and swamps.
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