Appearance:

Small and restless species easily confused with Sedge Warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, but showing both plumage and structural differences. Plumage differs from A. schoenobaenus in; broad, white supercilium ending without narrowing, dark crown (usually appears black), pure white throat, grey ear-coverts, dark legs and warm-rufous flanks, rump and neck. Facial markings recalling firecrest. Very short primary projection and longer, more evenly rounded tail recalling Wren when raised. Bill thinner than A. schoenobaenus. Skulky behaviour, forages low in vegetation, on ground or near water surface. Some variation in both size and plumage between western and eastern subspecies.

Sound:

Contact call a dry "trrrt", similar to corresponding call of Sedge Warbler. Song most resembling that of Reed Warbler (A, scirpaceus), but often includes diagnostic (unique among congeners), pure-sounding note sequence resembling crescendo of Common Nightingale (L. megarhynchos), before launching into typical Acrocephalus sounding song. This latter type can be sustained for some time without the diagnostic sequence and is more difficult to distinguish from A. scirpaceus. Note faster tempo and more variation.

Diagnostic song:

Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-photo:Radovan Václav, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Lars Buckx, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:ferran pestaña, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Reedbed-living, dull coloured warbler with fan-shaped tail. Under tail coverts lacking pale fringes or markings. Vague and short supercilium. Differs from other locustella by unstreaked chest, back and under tail coverts. From Reed Warbler and Marsh Warbler by very long and buff under tail coverts, smaller head and pinkish legs.

Sound:

Song insect-like and high-pitched. A monotonous stream of even clicks similar to the whirring of a sewing machine. Song most similar to Grasshopper Warbler but faster (each click hard to distinguish), and lower pitched with less, ringing quality, due to less prominent high frequencies. At closer range a Robin-like, accelerating ticking is heard, introducing the actual song.

Song:

Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-photo:sussexbirder, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Peter Hoppenbrouwers, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Marc Herremans, Licence,Link.