Common reed warbler

The common reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) 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.

Taxonomy

The common reed warbler was formally described in 1804 by the French naturalist Johann Hermann under the binomial name Turdus scirpaceus.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The type locality is Alsace.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref name=ioc>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Ten subspecies are recognised:<ref name=ioc/>

• A. s. scirpaceus (Hermann, 1804) – breeds in Europe to west Russia, Ukraine and west Turkey, northwest Africa, winters in west, central Africa
• A. s. fuscus (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833) – breeds in north Egypt and central Turkey through the Middle East to southeast European Russia, north Iran, Kazakhstan and northwest China; winters in eastern and southern Africa
• A. s. avicenniae Ash, Pearson, DJ, Nikolaus & Colston, 1989 – coasts of the Red Sea<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• A. s. ammon Hering, Winkler & Steinheimer, 2016 – Oases along the Libya-Egypt border region<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• A. s. ambiguus (Brehm, AE, 1857) – Iberian Peninsula and northwest Africa
• A. s. minor Lynes, 1923 – Sahel region from Senegal to west-central Sudan (Darfur)
• A. s. cinnamomeus Reichenow, 1908 – west Ethiopia and south Somalia south through South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia and Mozambique; patchy distribution in west Africa from south Cameroon to possibly Niger and Mali
• A. s. suahelicus Grote, 1926 – east Tanzania to east Mozambique and eastern South Africa
• A. s. hallae White, CMN, 1960 – southwest Angola to southwest Zambia and south to western South Africa
• A. s. baeticatus (Vieillot, 1817) – north Botswana and Zimbabwe to southern South Africa<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

An older scientific name for the reed warbler was Acrocephalus streperus (Vieill.).<ref name=streperus>For instance in Template:Cite book; see also: File:Commons-logo.svg image on Wikimedia Commons.</ref>

The mostly resident Iberian and African subspecies are sometimes treated as a separate species, the African reed warbler (Acrocephalus baeticatus).<ref name=ioc/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=olsson>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Description

This is a medium-sized warbler, Template:Cvt in length with a wing-span of Template:Cvt.Template:Sfn 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.

File:Acrocephalus scirpaceus 1.ogg

Song from Diaccia Botrona Marsh, Italy

Distribution 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.<ref name="Campbell 1999">Template:Cite book</ref>

Behaviour and ecology

Food and feeding

Like most warblers, it is insectivorous, but will occasionally take plant material such as berries.Template:Sfn

Breeding

The males return to the breeding grounds two or three weeks before the females.Template:Sfn The species is usually monogamous.Template:Sfn 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 Template:Cvt—range is between Template:Cvt—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 Template:Cvt and weigh Template:Cvt. 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.Template:Sfn

The common reed warbler is one of the species that are brood parasitised by the common cuckoo.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Gallery

• A history of British birds (1871) (14746972441).jpg

  Placement of nest

• Reed Warbler Nest 10-06-12 (7173408749).jpg

  View of nest with clutch

• Acrocephalus scirpaceus MHNT 323 Larache MAroc RdN.jpg

  Reed warbler eggs

• Cuculus canorus canorus MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.149.14.jpg

  Cuculus canorus canorus egg in a clutch of Acrocephalus scirpaceus - MHNT

• Reed warbler cuckoo.jpg

  Common cuckoo chick fed by reed warbler adult

• Acrocephalus scirpaceus 2015-05.jpg

  Common reed warbler

Sources

• Template:Cite book

External links

• Eurasian reed warbler videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
• AvibaseTemplate:Dead link
• Ageing and sexing (PDF; 2.3 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze Template:Webarchive

Bibliography

• Kishkinev, D., Chernetsov, N., Pakhomov, A., Heyers, D., and Mouritsen, H. (2015). Eurasian reed warblers compensate for virtual magnetic displacement. Curr. Biol. 25, R822–R824