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Common Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesWetlandCup nestTiny · 12 g
Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), photo 1
Photo: Lukas Zangl · CC BY 4.0
Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), photo 2
Photo: Lukas Zangl · CC BY 4.0
Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), photo 3
Photo: William Stephens · CC BY 4.0
Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), photo 4
Photo: Joe crutwell · CC BY 4.0
Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), photo 5
Photo: euqirneto · CC BY 4.0
Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), photo 6
Photo: euqirneto · CC BY 4.0
Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), photo 7
Photo: SkippingShoe · CC BY 4.0
Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), photo 8
Photo: Hobbyfotowiki · CC0
Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), photo 9
Photo: Stephan Sprinz · CC BY 4.0
Common Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), photo 10
Photo: Stephan Sprinz · CC BY 4.0

What the Common Reed Warbler sounds like

Sonogram of the Common Reed Warbler: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Noé Ferrari · Song · Arrondissement d'Abbeville (near Noyelles-sur-Mer), Somme, Hauts-de-France, France · CC BY 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Common Reed Warbler: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Noé Ferrari · Song · Arrondissement d'Abbeville (near Noyelles-sur-Mer), Somme, Hauts-de-France, France · CC BY 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Common Reed Warbler: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Noé Ferrari · Song · Arrondissement d'Abbeville (near Noyelles-sur-Mer), Somme, Hauts-de-France, France · CC BY 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

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. The song is a slow, chattering jit-jit-jit with typically acrocephaline whistles and mimicry added.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Common Reed Warbler

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 6 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is August, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Common Reed Warbler

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 112 countries with regular records, and 3 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Sweden France Spain Luxembourg United Kingdom Belgium Finland Portugal Germany Israel Norway Czechia Netherlands Türkiye Poland Switzerland South Africa Greece Denmark Italy Hungary Austria United Arab Emirates Cyprus Bulgaria Morocco Egypt Romania Ukraine Ireland Kuwait Namibia Croatia Slovakia Iran Serbia Estonia Palestinian Territories Slovenia Lithuania Senegal Russia Tanzania Saudi Arabia Uganda Kenya Latvia Georgia Gambia Kazakhstan Zambia Belarus Botswana Jordan Azerbaijan Moldova Zimbabwe Mozambique Ethiopia Lebanon Armenia Jersey Rwanda Algeria Benin Tunisia Oman Albania Kosovo Qatar Iraq North Macedonia Guinea-Bissau Malta Guernsey Uzbekistan Malawi China Bosnia & Herzegovina Cameroon Isle of Man Mauritania Côte d’Ivoire Montenegro Ghana Congo - Kinshasa Burkina Faso Gibraltar Eswatini Kyrgyzstan Syria Nigeria Liberia Djibouti Sierra Leone Angola Guinea Libya Afghanistan Congo - Brazzaville Turkmenistan Chad Bahrain Liechtenstein Faroe Islands Burundi Central African Republic Togo Yemen Sudan Tajikistan Andorra

Recorded as a rare visitor in Iceland, Niger, Somalia.

About the Common Reed Warbler

The common reed warbler or Eurasian reed-warbler is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds across Europe into the temperate western Palaearctic where it is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also a resident species over large parts of Africa.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenusThis is a medium-sized warbler, 11.5–13 cm (4.5–5.1 in) long and weighing around 12 g (0.42 oz). Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris) Marsh WarblerAcrocephalus palustrisThis is a medium-sized warbler. Blyth's Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum) Blyth's Reed WarblerAcrocephalus dumetorumBlyth's reed warbler is between 12 and 14 cm (4.7 and 5.5 in) in length and weighs between 8 and 16 g (0.28 and 0.56 oz).

Side by side: Common Reed Warbler vs Sedge Warbler · Common Reed Warbler vs Marsh Warbler · Blyth's Reed Warbler vs Common Reed Warbler

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