Bird Guide

Australian Reed Warbler vs Blyth's Reed Warbler

Australian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus australis)

Australian Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus australis

Small18 gWetland

Voice: Described as a sweet melodious warble with rich fluty notes as well as hard and metallic sounding notes, Australian reed warbler song is loud and varied. The song of this species consists of sets of short sequences consisting of a pattern of sounds that is repeated, after a 3-5 second interval, in varied combinations.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0
Blyth's Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum)

Blyth's Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus dumetorum

Tiny11 gWetland

Blyth'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). It is a slim warbler with relatively short wings and a long bill. The plumage is rather plain with few distinguishing features and has been described as lacking in "warmer" tones observed in related species. The upperparts are plain olive brown, with less olive on the short, rounded wings. There is a short whitish supercilium running between the base of the bill and the eye, with a dusky stripe through the eye. The underparts are plain and off-white in colour. Voice: Blyth's reed warbler has a variable song in which harsh sounds like ticks, chaks and churrs are mixed in with melodious whistles and mimicry.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Pascal Christe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Peter von Bagh · CC BY 2.0

Learn this pair in BeakBrain

Photo and call practice, free in any browser.

Play BeakBrain

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Australian Reed Warbler and Blyth's Reed Warbler.