Common Reed Warbler - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by volker sthamer
Offstein, Germany, 20 June 2020

Includes Eurasian Reed Warbler, African Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Identification

Subspecies baeticatus, African Reed Warbler
Photo © by CollinBax
Cape Town, South Africa, February 2011

12.5cm (5 in)
Brown with a rusty tinge. Paler underparts with a whitish throat. Thin brownish bill. Legs dark brown.
Juvenile is very similar to the adult but rather brighter with tawny-orange tints to upperparts. Legs flesh-coloured.

Similar Species

Juvenile
Photo © by Xmor
Llyn Coed Y Dinas, Welshpool, Wales, July 2015

Marsh Warbler, Blyth's Reed Warbler

Distribution

Europe,western Asia, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa.

Taxonomy

The first four subspecies used to be in Eurasian Reed Warbler while the last six subspecies were considered another full species, African Reed Warbler.

Subspecies

Subspecies fuscus, Caspian Reed Warbler
Photo © by ammadoux
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, September 2018

Four subspecies are recognized^[1]:

• A. s. scirpaceus:

• Breeds in Europe (except the Iberian Peninsula) east to western Turkey and western Russia; winters in subSaharan Africa (Senegal east to Sudan, south at least to Gabon and the northern edge of the Congo Basin)

• A. s. fuscus:

• East Mediterranean and Caspian to Kazakhstan; winters to southern Africa

• A. s. avicenniae:

• Mangroves of coastal Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia and western Arabia

• A. s. ammon:

• Libyan Desert depressions on the Libya/Egypt border (oases of Qattara, Siwa, Sitra, and Al Jaghbub)

• A. s. ambiguus:

• Breeds northwestern Africa (Morocco to Tunisia) and southwestern Europe (Iberian Peninsula); Moroccan population at least partially resident, otherwise nonbreeding range poorly known but winters from Mauritania east at least to Côte d'Ivoire, and probably to farther east

• A. s. guiersi:

• Northern Senegal

• A. s. cinnamomeus:

• Senegal east to South Sudan, Ethiopia, and southern Somalia, south to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, eastern Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique

• A. s. hallae:

• Southwestern Angola south to western Botswana and western South Africa

• A. s. suahelicus:

• Coastal Tanzania to eastern Mozambique and northeastern South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal)

• A. s. baeticatus:

• Eastern Botswana and Zimbabwe to southern and southeastern South Africa

Habitat

Reedbeds and some bushes.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet includes mainly insects, though some berries are taken.

Breeding

Photo © by Qingcol
Amble, Cornwall, June 2008

A monogamous species.
They build a basket-like nest in reeds. The clutch consists of 3-5 eggs, which are pale greenish-white with dark specks or splotches. The young fledge after 10 or 11 days.

It is brood parasitised by the Common Cuckoo.

Vocalisation

Subspecies avicenniae
Photo © by ammadoux
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 2012

Thread with links to both Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler songs for comparison

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2023. IOC World Bird List (v 13.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.13.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
3. Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
4. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
5. Birdforum thread discussing Moroccan Reed Warblers
6. The Observers Book of Birds' Eggs
7. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Common Reed Warbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Common_Reed_Warbler

External Links

Reed Warbler Identification Thread

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