Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus)
Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta)
Large and bulky warbler with long tail, heavy, thrush-like bill and relatively strong facial markings. Supercilium broad and strong and continues behind eye. Lores dark. Primary projection same length as tertials. Flanks warm beige. Crest often raised. Flight heavy and jerky, and birds are also much more detectable by moving reeds when foraging about in vegetation than congeners. In the Middle East be aware of confusion species Clamorous Reed Warbler and Basra Reed Warbler.
Sound:Contact call a grating, dry "kirrrat", where each rolling r is discernable. Song similar to Reed Warbler in timbre, but much deeper and slower. Fairly concise motifs typically consisting of two deep mono- or disyllabic notes followed by a few higher tones. I.e: "kerek kerek, trii trii trii". Clamorous Reed Warbler differs in more diffuse motifs.
Song:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCSound recording:Recorded by Edmunds Racinskis
Easy to identify when seen in mountainous habitat where Rock Pipit does not occur, but harder when occasionally seen at the coast where both species may be present. Told from Rock Pipit by: Contrasting, double wing-bars, unstreaked belly (and only modestly streaked flanks), brownish rump, broad supercilium, paler underwing and pure white outer tail feathers. Summer plumage with more strongly coloured buff or pinkish underparts and greyer upperparts, but difficult to identify when plumage worn.
Sound:Similar to Rock Pipit. Song slightly more melodious, often with Tree Pipit like glissandi at end of phrase. Contact call sharper and more drawn.
Song:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC